Obedience

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also is Christ.   ~   I Corinthians 12:12

In this scripture Paul compares the Body of Christ to the human body.  Our human body, even though it’s considered one body, has many members that make it up.  Some members of our human body may not seem all that important until you lose them.  Take for instance your fingernails, they may not seem all that vital, but if you were to lose them you’d find out that they perform many important functions for you.

The Body of Christ is the same way, every member is important to the overall health and function of the body.  As members of this one body we can’t pick and choose what part we are going to be, or where we are going to be placed at in the body.  Just as the members of our human body don’t get to decide where they are going to be, we as members of the Body of Christ don’t get to either.

It still amazes me that some people in the Body of Christ think they can pick and choose where they are going to be.  If they don’t like one place in the body they feel at liberty to move to another place in the body.  I can assure you that this is not a liberty that is granted by Jesus the Head of the Church.

Our lives will never truly be satisfying until we take our place in Christ’s body where we belong.  So, the next time you’re tempted to change your place in the body just remember these words from I Corinthians 12:18,  “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.    ~  1 Corinthians 4:2

A faithful person will stick with something through thick and thin.  An unfaithful person will quit on something when they no longer feel excited about what they are doing.  Faithfulness must be developed in our lives.  Many of the assignments that God gives us start out with excitement, but after the excitement wears off it’s faithfulness that keeps us going.  Faithfulness keeps us doing what is right because it is right.

Unfaithful people need some kind of feeling to keep them going; they need to feel excited or they’ll quit.  Faithful people only need to know that it is the right thing to be doing to keep them going.  Unfaithful people believe that when the excitement has left something that it is a sign for them to stop doing it.  Faithful people don’t ever stop doing what they’re doing unless they have definite direction from the Lord to stop. 

One thing is for sure, if we’re going to be faithful we can never be led by our emotions.  Make up your mind today that you are going to be a faithful person.  The book of Proverbs tells us that “a faithful person shall abound with blessings!”

Praise waits for Thee, O God in Sion: and unto Thee shall the vow be performed.                       ~   Psalm 65:1

The word “waits” in this verse can be translated “is silent”.  This seems strange due to the fact that praise is to be any thing but silent.  But this scripture is presenting a picture of  a lion who is silently waiting to pounce upon his prey.  That’s what we’re to be like when we come into the house of God.  We’re to be just waiting to spring forth in praise to God!  What a hugh difference it would make in the anointing in our meetings if everyone came with this attitude.

The story is told about Smith Wigglesworth who once made everyone present in a meeting leave and come back in praising the Lord.  One lady who was present in that meeting remarked years later about how powerful that meeting was.  The psalmist of old told us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise”.  Simple obedience to God’s commands will always produce remarkable results.  Let’s all do a better job at entering His gates!

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.   ~  Deuteronomy 28:1,2

Thank God for His blessings!  God truly wants His blessings to overtake us.  That means no matter how fast we’re running we can’t run fast enough to keep ahead of the blessings of God!  These two verses in Deuteronomy reveal the key to walking in God’s blessings…  “if you will hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.” 

The more we listen to and obey God’s voice through His Word and His Spirit, the greater level of blessings we’ll be able to walk in.  So I encourage you to go to great lengths to obey the voice of the LORD this day and throughout the new year!

That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing….   ~   Colossians 1:10

This is the key to walking in God’s best for your life!  When we walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, it opens up realms of blessing that before we were not walking in.  There are three important things we need to do if we’re going to walk worthy of the Lord.  First, we need to live by faith (you can’t please God without it).  Second, we must walk in holiness.  And third, we must live the love life.  When you practice these three things with all your might you’ll find new areas of blessing opening up to you.

But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  ~  Matthew 6:33

We’re going through a time in our nation right now where a lot of people are worried about their things.  They’re concerned about their money, their homes, their cars, and the list goes on.  And truly your heart goes out to the person who has saved all their working life to have a comfortable retirement only to see their savings wiped out.  But there is good news; if we’ll seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness He has promised to provide the things we need!  Third John 2 declares that God wants us to “prosper in all things.”  So, God truly wants us to have things.  What He doesn’t want is for us to seek things first. 

When I hear about people taking their own lives because they’ve lost their things I realize that they were seeking things first and not the Kingdom of God.  If you truly seek the Kingdom first you can rest assured that no matter what happens to your things God will always replace them.  It’s part of our benefit package in the Kingdom of God.  So don’t worry about your things,  just seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and trust Him to provide the things you need.