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May 17, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"These are the statutes and judgments, which you shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth." Deuteronomy 12:1
Obedience to God and His Word is imperative if we are to "walk with the Lord" in our spiritual journey. It is not obedience to "gain favor with God" nor obedience based on an "attitude of obligation to God." True obedience comes from a "heart of love for God." Such obedience makes a radical difference in the way we live, the degree of our commitment, the dedication of our lives, the attitude and manner of our worship, the faithfulness of our prayer life, the consistency of our service, and the steadfastness of our testimony. OBEDIENCE is paramount and indispensable to our faith.
Many fail to have the proper "point of reference," the basis upon which our faith is founded and from which our lives proceed. The only true point of reference is God's Word. Our relationship to God is not one in which we rationalize our faith to accommodate our lifestyles, or debate the commands God has given to us in His Word to appease our self-centered lives. As God set forth His terms of relationship to Israel, He began with "unfeigned obedience," so we are to apply this to our lives today. No matter how good, commendable, or highly acclaimed by the world, nothing can supersede "obedience to God."
If we approach God for salvation, in prayer, in our spiritual walk, in our worship, or for any other purpose, it must be in the way He has appointed. Jesus made it very clear, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). People today often say, "Well, I have my own opinion." That's true. So did Adam and Eve, but they suffered the consequences of their own deceiving ways. Solomon said, "There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." When we are determined to exercise our own will in rejection of God's will, He will let us, but we must suffer the dreadful results. Is the house greater than the builder, or the pot greater than the potter? Is the creature greater than the creator? David said, "What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you visit him?" Who are we to contest the Truth of God? God's covenant with us is contingent upon our "obedience" to the truth revealed in His Word.
What hinders us from abiding by the statutes God has given us? We have trouble rationalizing the truth to our liking, rather than recognizing and submitting to the authority of His Word. If we expect God's hand upon our life, there can be no deviation from His command unto us, to walk in obedience to His commands and live under the authority of His lordship. The principles of our faith should be so fixed that they cannot be moved by the insidious ways of Satan. Our practice of them should be so determined that no considerations whatsoever can swerve us from our path of devotion and duty. Our rule of life should be so clear that we follow without wavering. May we say with Joshua, "If it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!" (Joshua 24:15).
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-05-17&print=1
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