Category Archives: Obedience

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September 26, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Obedience

LOVE RULES

Greet each other with Christian love. [1 Peter 5:14 (NLT)]

Live in complete harmony with each other … accept each other … teach each other. [Romans 15:5,7,14 (NLT)]

So encourage each other and build each other up … Show them great respect and wholehearted love … live peacefully with each other … always try to do good to each other and to all people. [1 Thessalonians 5:11,13,15 (NLT)]

Pray for each other. [James 5:16 (NLT)]

Take an interest in others. [Philippians 2:4 (NLT)]

You must help one another every day. [Hebrews 3:13 (GNT)]

Serve one another in love … Let us not…provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. [Galatians 5:13,26 (NLT)]        

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. [Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)]

Take delight in honoring each other … Live in harmony with each other [Romans 12:10,16 (NLT)]

Don’t grumble about each other. [James 5:9 (NLT)] 

The Bible makes it clear that love is more than a warm fuzzy feeling; it requires effort and action. We can’t simply say we love; we must do it. It is a tall order to welcome, accept, encourage, respect, live peacefully and in harmony, pray for, be interested in, help, serve, be kind and forgiving, and honor one another. It is even more difficult for some of us to refrain from complaint, deceit, temptation, conceit, anger, provocation and jealousy. But, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can and must do it!

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. [1 John 3:18 (NLT)]

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August 31, 2014

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Obedience, Salvation: A New You

WHO WILL YOU SERVE?

But if you don’t want to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. [Joshua 24:15 (NCV)]

I love travel but I hate packing; I stress over each item I put in my suitcase. Wanting to be prepared for every eventuality, I pack and repack several times. My husband, however, packs his suitcase in a matter of minutes but may spend ten minutes or more pondering which barbecue sauce to purchase. My mother-in-law dithers over finding the perfect greeting card and I know women who try on a dozen or more pairs of shoes before making their purchase. In our own ways, we each spend an inordinate amount of time making decisions of little or no consequence. Do we give that same amount of thought to the one decision we all must make, the most important decision in our lives, the one with eternal consequences? Who will we choose to serve today?

Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him.” [Joshua 24:21 (NCV)]

 

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August 23, 2014

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God's Plan, Obedience, Trusting God

HIS PLANS

The Lord will work out his plans for my life – for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. [Psalm 138:8 (NLT)]

Lord, keep me from being so rigid in my life that I fail to accept and follow your plan for my life. I’m hesitant to surrender completely to your will because I fear what you might ask of me. Yet, in my heart, I know that you will equip me with whatever skills I need to do whatever you ask of me. Moreover, because you love me, I know you’ll give me a joyful heart as I do it! Lord, I am yours; direct me!

But as Scripture says: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” [1 Corinthians 2:9 (GW)]

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August 21, 2014

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God's Grace & Love, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Obedience

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN GIVEN?

You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” [Acts 20:35b (NLT)]

As I perused a glossy magazine dedicated to the wealthy, I saw short pieces about men’s handkerchiefs that sell for over one hundred dollars, a walnut portable bar (perfect for when you’re out hunting) costing about $7,600, Ferragamo sneakers that go for $1,200, and a $67,500 watch that covers all thirty times zones! An article about a Moroccan hotel mentioned its rack rate (ranging from $2,250 to $50,000 per night) but the advertisements for cars and watches didn’t even mention cost; apparently, if you have to ask, you clearly can’t afford them!

What a relief to then read about self-made billionaire Marc Benioff who has integrated philanthropy into his company’s basic philosophy; every year it donates 1% of its profits, staff hours and technology to various charities. Since 1999, over $53 million has been given away, employees have volunteered more than 500,000 hours, and company software has been made available to 20,000 non-profits. Recently, Benioff challenged twenty other technology companies to pledge a combined $10 million to fight poverty in the San Francisco area. Within sixty days, three out of four companies approached had signed onto the project. Benioff’s next goal is to raise another $50 million from one hundred more businesses this year. He was understandably disappointed by one wealthy entrepreneur’s response to his request: “What have I been given? Why do I need to give back?”

We’re not billionaires and the amounts asked from us are a pittance in comparison, but do we ever respond as coldly? Do we ask, “What have I been given? Why should I give back?” Let us never forget that everything we have has been given to us by God. Our talent, skills, intelligence, looks, parents, race, nationality and opportunities are all gifts from God. Yes, we’ve worked hard and struggled to achieve but what we’ve accomplished has much more to do with God’s hand than our efforts.

Why do we need to give back? That one’s easy: because we’re told to do so! Giving, however, isn’t just a way to be obedient to God; it is also a way to honor Him. Perhaps the best reason to give, however, is because of the joy that it brings, not just to the recipient, but to the giver as well!

The real joy in life comes from giving. … That’s the grace that pays out every single day for me. [Marc Benioff in “Forbes Life,” Summer 2014]

What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? [1 Corinthians 4:7b (NLT)]

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August 6, 2014

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Obedience, Prayer

LISTENING

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. [Psalm 5:3 (NLT)]

I expect God to listen to me, but do I listen to him?
When he calls, do I answer?
When he speaks, do I hear?
When he commands, do I obey?
Perhaps it’s time to remember why He gave me two ears and only one mouth!

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. [Epictetus]

Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because you are faithful and righteous. [Psalm 143:1 (NLT)]

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August 4, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Fruit of the Spirit, God's Plan, Obedience, Spiritual Gifts

WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE?

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. [Colossians 1:9b-10 (NLT)]

What is my purpose, my goal, in life? Now in my seventh decade, I still vacillate over the answer. Moreover, the answer seems to have changed over the years. Was it to be an obedient child and a good student? To be a good mother and homemaker? Is it now to be a loving grandmother? Has it been to be a community volunteer? Is it now to be a writer? Was it to help my husband in business? Is it now to enjoy retirement?

What is our purpose in life? Is it to be someone, have something, achieve a special goal, accomplish a specific task, or to amass a particular amount of money? Upon reading the Bible, however, I realize there is no reason to be uncertain when answering that question. Our purpose is clearly laid out for us in Jesus’ own words:

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT)]