CIRC Blog

All of us can cite examples of not listening to our mother’s advice and living to regret it. In John 2, Mary, Jesus’ mother, gives a bit of advice to servants at a wedding feast. Jesus, the disciples and His mother were attending a celebration that was such a success then they ran out of wine, a great embarrassment to the hosts.

John 2:5 – “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Great advice! Can you imagine the miracles that would take place if we would heed this advice? Jesus told the servants to fill six water pots with water, draw some of it out, and take it to the governor of the feast. When the governor tasted the water (that had now become wine) he was amazed.

John 2:10 – “Every man at the beginning does set forth good wine: and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Will you do whatever Jesus tells you, no matter how foolish, risky or hard it may be? The servants risked looking very foolish, taking what they thought was water to the governor. But, because they obeyed Jesus, a miracle took place.

A Few Facts About Obedience

1. Obedience adds stability to life (Matthew 7:24-27). In Matthew 7, Jesus gives the example of two houses, one built on the sand and another built on a rock (sturdy foundation). When the storms came, the house built on the sand was destroyed, while the house built on the rock survived.The house on the sand represents those who hear the word of God but do not obey it. The house built on the rock represents those who hear the Word of God and obey it. People who refuse to obey God and His Word will fall apart when trouble comes. On the other hand, those who obey God will withstand all the storms of life (Hebrews 2:1).
2. Obedience causes us to grow. “For unto every one that has shall be given, but to him that has not shall be taken away even what he has” (Matthew 25:29). In other words, if you don’t use it, you will lose it.If we are given an opportunity to obey God and don’t, sooner or later we will lose the opportunity. If we obey God in faith when He speaks, He will give us another opportunity to obey. That’s how we grow. Life is not a long jump. We do not go from step one to step ten. We must take one step at a time. Each step of obedience provides with it another opportunity for personal, spiritual and corporate advancement. When something is revealed to us, we must step out in faith and obey. When we do, we will be given the next step. The same thing holds true for the church. The church must move in obedience when God gives it vision and direction. If it doesn’t, its growth will be stunted.
3. Obedience flourishes the Work of God. Peter and John’s response to those who threatened them not to speak or teach in Jesus’ name was: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:18-20). How many times has the work of God been hindered because God’s people failed to obey? I’m not referring to personal failure. Peter failed, but afterward moved on to obey the Lord. As a result, the work of God flourished (Matthew 28:15-20, Mark 16:15-20, Acts 1:8).This applies not only to those who are sent, but also to those who send. Paul said, “How shall they preach except they be sent” (Romans 10:13-15)? Those who are called to preach or minister full time cannot fulfill their call without the support of those God calls to send (support) them. Paul and Silas were able to go on their first missionary journey because of the moral, prayer, and financial support of the Antioch church (Acts 13:1-3). Paul sought the support of the church at Rome to continue his labor for God in the region of Spain (Romans 15:23-24). He also was supported by the Philippian church while incarcerated (Philippians 4:10-19). Great things have been and can be accomplished because of the faithful obedience of God’s people.
4. Disobedience is often covered up by superficial spirituality. When going to battle with the Amalekites Saul was told to utterly destroy everything and everyone. Instead, he kept the king and the best of the flocks alive. When Samuel arrived, he rebuked him saying, “Why did you not obey the voice of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:19)?Saul covered up his disobedience with something appearing to be spiritual. He said he obeyed, but kept the best of the flock to sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel responded, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness (insubordination) as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:22-23). How often do we cover up our disobedience with supposed spirituality?
5. Obedience is learned through suffering. “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9). Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. What makes us think we’re better than him? We learn and grow through suffering and difficulties. We not only learn to obey through suffering, but more accurately, we learn how to obey in the midst of suffering (Acts 8:1-4, Romans 8:17, and 1 Peter 1:6-7).
6. Obedience will be tested. “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). God will test us to see if we will obey Him. He will put his finger on the very thing in our lives that stand between us and Him to see if we will put Him first or not. He tested Abraham with his son (Genesis 22) and the rich man with his riches (Mathew 19:16-22). Abraham passed the test, but the rich man did not. Jesus proved His obedience through the test of suffering at Gethsemane and the cross (Philippians 2:6-11). What is God putting His finger on in your life? Will you pass the test of obedience?
7. Obedience identifies those who truly know and love God. The Word makes it clear that obedience is the real identifying factor of those who love and know God. It reveals those who really belong to Him. That does not mean we will never fall short and fail, but is the normal course of our life one of obedience? John 14:21 – “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”1 John 2:3 – “By this, we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments.”Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
8. Obedience is the mark of a true disciple. “As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that he commanded Moses” (Joshua 11:15). This does not refer to blind obedience, but if the direction our leader is giving us is reasonable and aligned with scripture, then do it. The church is not a democracy, but a theocracy. There is headship in the body of Christ. Jesus is the head (Ephesians 4:15) and a good pastor is like the central nervous system which takes direction from the head and sends it to the rest of the body (Hebrews 13:17 and 1 Peter 5:3). The church should be more like the military where the chain of command is expected to be followed. Anything …CONTINUE READING…@ https://www.ministrymaker.com

.

.

If you found this post helpful, we would be honored if you would share it.

If you are NEW HERE, please check out our about-circ-blog/ page and read to know a little more about CIRC BLOG Or Click here for recent posts.

If you are interested in submitting soul-nurturing articles or books for all of us to benefit from, please contact CIRC BLOG Admin via  circ.community@emoltem.com

Are you willing to share with us how we can improve or have a problem on the site or a post, please contact CIRC BLOG Admin via  circ.community@emoltem.com

Thank you for reading, sharing, and being a part of CIRC BLOG!

People Often Ask These Questions:

• How do I fulfil my destiny?  Our destiny is bound up in our response to the Gospel. “Are you saved or lost?” That is the question above all questions. The declaration of the Gospel is “Jesus saves.” He saves from wrath, judgment, hell, bondage, the devil, and darkness. He saves us from dying in our sins. …People insure their houses and yet do not insure their eternal future. Yet we know that salvation offers so much more. Who else offers such insurance but Jesus?
• Why does God allow suffering? You could just as well ask the National Secretary of Transportation why he allows accidents on the highways. No doubt he would take exception to your accusation and point to the rules of the road. “Every time a law is broken, an accident and suffering might occur,” he would reply. People suffer chiefly for one reason—they are ignoring God’s rulebook, the Bible, and everything goes wrong. Our Creator knows exactly how He has made us and what will harm us. Consequently, out of a caring, protective heart, He says, “You shall not … ” The “you shall nots” are not edicts designed to spoil our fun, but rather they are the manufacturer’s handling instructions. God wisely knows that our psyche is unable to handle sin. Actually, it is crushed and tormented by misdeeds. It is always wise to read the instruction manual before using a new appliance. People worry about breaking a new DVD player or a new computer, but strangely, they have no worries about destroying their own spirits and souls with the poison of sin.

Would You Like To Give OR Re-Dedicate Your Life To JESUS CHRIST, But You Don’t Know HOW?

Please READOUT LOUD below Prayer and contact us @ circ.community@emoltem.com for more information.

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior and to yield back the life given to me by You, back to You. Take Control of my life Lord, and let only your will be done in my life from now on. Amen.”