I think the message of obedience is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Jesus' teachings, because people tend to mistakenly associate their obedience with God's love for them. God's love for us is UNCONDITIONAL, whether we obey Him or not (crazy, I know). His gift of salvation does NOT rest upon our good works. It is a GIFT! Once we've truly accepted Jesus's gift, the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are saved. Obedience is NOT an act to gain salvation, it is an act of love in RESPONSE to a God who is too good to be true!
We recently read the story of Abraham in our latest Haplous Bible study. The study points out that GOD made a promise to Abraham to make Him the Father of His people, that He would provide them a promised land wherein they could dwell, and that He would send a Redeemer for these people. GOD made the promise--he didn't ask Abraham to promise HIM, therefore, the promise didn't rely on Abraham, but on God Himself. And God would ultimately fulfill that promise through Jesus Christ.
DID YOU KNOW: God asks us to be obedient NOT to bring us shame, but to eradicate shame! He knows what is best for us, and lovingly guides us on the right paths. Obedience is a beautiful part of God's creation because He gifted us all with free will. Therefore, when we CHOOSE God's way--CHOOSE to be obedient to His directions, we are participating in an act of love and worship for Him.
If you're hesitant to obey God, worried that His way is NOT the best way, or that His way will make you miserable, I encourage you to ask God to reveal and tear down the lies the enemy is speaking into your heart. Because God DOES want what is ultimately best for you. If you can't think of any areas where you are resisting God's direction, I encourage you to ask God to reveal what these areas are--we are all human and we all have areas of imperfection!
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. DO what it SAYS” James 1:22 Jesus said in Matthew 7: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ✨ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ✨ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ✨ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” ✨ What are you building your house on? Xx #haplous #obedience #prayer #prayerchangesthings