Obedience

An unbeliever can’t obey God. It is impossible for them to do and most have no desire at all to obey or please God. The natural man wants to glorify himself and not glorify the one who made all things and sustains all things.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:2-3 ESV

This isn’t true for the believer because we have faith to please Him. 

When we obey God, it proves our love for Him, it glorifies Him to the world, it shows the world our loyalty to Him, and it opens avenues for blessings for us. Here’s the thing, we obey His commandments, not because we have to, but because we desire to, because we love Christ. We are not walking in the flesh any longer. We are walking by the spirit and we are a new creation.

However, when we disobey God it is an act of rebellion, it is sinful, it is a form of idolatry, it disrespects God’s word, and at times is based on looking good to other people rather than the Lord.

If we love the Lord, we will have a desire to obey him, not always perfectly, but our desire to obey Him and our lives give evidence of that desire. It assures us that we belong to Him. God commands us to obey Him throughout the pages of scripture. And when we do it brings us joy, confidence, peace, comfort, and blessing in a world where people are searching for these things in everything other than Christ.

It doesn’t matter how much knowledge we have if we refuse to obey the Lord. Obey not out of obligation or duty but obey because you love Christ. 

“If I could simplify the Christian life to one thing, it would be obedience.” John MacArthur 

Joy

What brings us joy? Is it getting a job? Finding a husband? Having children? Eating a great meal? Talking to a loved one?

 

And we are writing these things so that your joy may be complete. 1 John 1:4

These are all good things and they can bring us joy and pleasure. 

For a believer, though, there is a joy that is rooted not in what is seen but the unseen. It is rooted in Christ.

The epistle and the other books of the bible should produce joy in our hearts. Not a superficial joy that comes and goes depending on the circumstances but a joy that is anchored in the truth of the gospel, anchored in the truth of who God is and His wonderful works. 

This joy can only come from the Father and believing in His Son Jesus Christ. Our fellowship with the Father produces joy in us that shows our loyalty to Him. Our love for His Son produces a joy in us that reminds us of our salvation. Our love for His word produces a joy in us that is unshakable. 

Others should see this joy shine on our faces. 

When we walk in the light, we will see that in the midst of the storm, even when it is difficult, we should have feelings of sweet joyfulness down in the depths of our souls. To know that we are kept by God and belong to Him, that He loves us, and the He is our helper will be our delight in the midst of our troubles. 

Of course, doubts and fears are mixed in with our joy, but if we remember that God is our refuge and strength we will persevere. When we hide ourselves in His word, He gives us he ability to move forward. When we trust Him, His word eases the pain and discomfort of the trial because it points us to Him and He will let the doubts and fears disappear.

Let us be women that walk in obedience and know our joy doesn’t reside in things or people but our joy always resides with Christ. 

He is the delight of our heart. 

The Delight of Your Heart, Prayer

Prayer is our life line to God.

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. Daniel 9:3

Daniel knew this and so did the other writers of Scripture. Communion with our Lord should delight our hearts and souls. It should cause us to rejoice that we have access to the Father because of His Son. 

Prayer is an act of humility and dependence on the one true God. We can talk to people but there is no one else that can direct our hearts and bend our stubborn wills. There is no one else that knows the depths of our hearts and still shows us grace and mercy each day. There is no one else that see the sins we hide but God sees right through it. There is no one else who hears the secret prayers we whisper only to the Father.

Prayer is our life source.

We see this in Daniel’s prayer.

I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. Daniel 9:4-5

At times we can go directly to our requests, needs, wants, and desires, instead of praising God for who He is and what He has done. There is nothing wrong with making requests.Daniel did this but his first response was to praise the Lord. 

He knows what we need before we even ask or before it even becomes a thought in our mind. He sees the tears of joy or sorrow that bleed into the pages of His word. He hears the joys and anguishes that come from His beloved children. 

The Lord wants us to come to Him. He wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to long for His word. He wants us to bow our hearts to His will.

Daniel says it so well in the last part of his prayer.

O my God, incline your heart and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city this is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name. Daniel 9:18-19

May our lips always praise our Lord, may we confess our sins to Him, may we let Him know of our faith in Him, may we tell Him of our need for Him, and may we humbly thank Him for everything He has done in our lives especially in saving our souls.

Let us go before the throne of grace one knee at a time, and praise our Father because prayer is our life line to Him. 

The Delight of Your Heart

If you read the account in Genesis 22, you see how Abraham offers his son Isaac to the Lord. 

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2

The Lord doesn’t just tell him to offer his son for a burnt offering. He uses your only son(the one you have waited years for and the promised one) and by the way, the one whom you love.

God tested Abraham to see if he feared God. Abraham did and he passed. 

What can we learn from Abraham and what is God telling us?

• Abraham obeyed without question. He rose early in the morning and went with his son.
• He went willingly.
• He obeyed all the way to the point of almost killing his only son, whom he loved.
• He feared God.
• He worshiped God.
• He knew God would provide.
• He had confidence in God.
• He considered God is able to raise people even from the dead.
• He trusted God. 

Through these points we learn one thing for certain. He loved God. His delight was in Him. He knew God was better than anything this life had to offer. This was a man that was meditating on the character of God. Abraham was consumed by the Lord and knew Him well. 

Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words become for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

Abraham surrendered his intellect, affections, emotions, and his will when he was about to sacrifice his only son. The test was to find out what was in his heart and to put to death the things he wanted in order that he may desire what God wanted.

His loyalty and love for Him. His reverence for Him. His trust in Him. If you look at the list again, look how the character of our Lord is put on display. Isn’t that what He wants? For us to fix our eyes on Him, to look to Him for all things, and have complete confidence in Him.

The more we delight in the Lord. The more we meditate on His word. The more we love His law. The more we will love Him. We will never do it perfectly but it is the pursuit to do this on a daily basis.  

Let us behold the beauty of our Savior each day and praise Him for the wonderful things He has done. May our hearts and souls be drawn closer to Christ as we read His word, meditate on His word, and worship Him. He is our all and all.

Delight yourselves in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:4-5

I pray that we will be utterly and completely in love with our Lord. And our love for Him will be contagious to those around us.