~ Do You Believe Enough to Obey? ~
“Only he
who believes is obedient, only he who is obedient believes.” ~ Deitrich Bonehoeffer
God asks us
to walk in obedience. He does not hold us accountable for results! Obedience is
God-oriented. Results are self-oriented. Results can be the by-product of
obedience. Obedience can be present without results.
“When they
saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen”
(Matthew 28:17-20).
From this portion of Scripture we find a key
principle. It is
“devotion before
discipleship.” It is “worship before
work.”
Obedience is proof of
conversion ~ “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but
under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves
slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading
to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that
though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of
doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you
became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness
of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness,
and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as
slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were
free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of
which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having
been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to
holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:15-23)
Obedience recognizes God ~ “But Peter and the other apostles answered
and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised
up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His
right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and
forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is
the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him’” (Acts 5:29-32).
Obedience is a mark of children ~ “Therefore
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the
grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as
obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your
ignorance;
but as He
who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is
written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges
according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your
stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in
God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and
hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:13-21).
Obedience is a manifestation of love – John 14:15 ~ Jesus
said, “If you love Me, keep My
commandments. And I will pray the
Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever
— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees
Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:15-18).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
