OBEDIENCE IS THE PRODUCT OFA RELATIONSHIP
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“I call heaven and
earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and
death, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”—Deuteronomy
30:19
Obedience is fundamentally rooted in
trust, and shows our worship and appreciation to Christ. We identify with Christ as our Lord not just
in words, but also in deeds that demonstrate our words through practice and
action, “But be doers of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not
a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he
observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer
but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James
1:22-25).
In Deuteronomy chapter 30, we can
see a clear comparison of the blessings of obedience,
and the curse of disobedience. Our human
sinful nature leads us to do our own thing, and the society that we live in
thrives upon it. However, God is calling
us to love, trust and obey Him. I call heaven and earth as
witnesses today against you, that
I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose
life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him,
for He is your life and the
length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them”
(Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
When we practice obedience, it means we are not ashamed of the Gospel, as Paul
proclaimed in Romans 1:16, “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for
everyone who believers, for the Jew first and also for the Greek,” so that
our devotion becomes contagious to those around us.
Obedience is not something we dread, or
feel we have to do, nor is it bondage in a negative sense. Obedience
is a natural outflow out of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Today I challenge you to get to know Him more
intimately.
Prayer—Father I repent of the
times I have not trusted You and have chosen to be disobedient to Your will for
my life. I ask you to forgive and
cleanse me from all unrighteousness according to your Word. Lord I ask You to help me fully trust You and
be obedient to You. I choose to worship
you in every area of my life, in Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
