BE QUICK TO OBEY GOD’


Wednesday, 15th September 2021

Psalm 119:32, 60 – I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding. 60 I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.

The Bible says a lot about obedience. God wants you to obey Him so He can bless and direct you. His instructions are for our good. But He also tells you how He wants you to obey. One of the most important things you learn about obedience in the Bible is that you must obey God immediately.

Psalm 119:60 says, “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.
When God tells you to do something, don’t procrastinate. Don’t make excuses. Don’t drag your feet. Just do it. Do it now.

“But what if I don’t understand why God is asking me to do a particular thing?” you might ask.

You don’t have to understand something to benefit from it. Many of us don’t understand how computers, our mobile phones and even the internet works, but we’re so obsessed about using them because of the benefits.

You don’t have to understand God’s commands to obey them and benefit from them.

Sometimes you’re tempted to ask God, “Why do I need to do that?” And like a loving and caring Father, He says, “Now I know you may not understand, but I want you to trust me because I know more than you. One day you’ll understand, but today you don’t. And I need you to do it anyway, for your own good.”*

Mature people do the right thing in spite of their feelings. Obeying God’s instructions is just the right thing to do at any given point in our lives.

When we delay obedience, we’re questioning God. Consider this question: What if God responded to your needs at the same speed in which you obey Him? When you get in trouble, you want God’s help immediately. When God tells you to do something, He wants you to obey immediately.

If you sincerely want to enjoy the blessings of God in your life, quickly follow His instructions.

THINK ABOUT THIS
– How is delayed obedience the same as disobedience?
– Have you been asking God “why” instead of quickly obeying one of His commands? Spend a few minutes praying. Tell God that you will start obeying that command today.
– Has God given you a specific command to do now that you’ve been delaying? Commit that today you will stop delaying and just do it.

GOD REWARDS OBEDIENCE


Tuesday, 14th September 2021

Deuteronomy 5:32-33 – So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

Have you ever thought about the link between faith and obedience? When you trust someone, you do what they say. In the Bible, God links faith and obedience over and over again. The promises of God are conditioned on you following the directions He gives you.

God has made some incredible, specific promises in His Word about obedience. In fact, there are so many promises that I can’t list them all here. But here are a few:

“God blesses those who obey Him” (Proverbs 16:20).

“He saves those who obey Him” (Psalm 7:10).

“The Lord watches over those who obey Him” (Psalm 33:18).

“The Lord takes care of those who obey Him” (Psalm 37:18).

“God gives us what we ask for because we obey God’s commands” (1 John 3:22).

“Those who obey Him have all they need . . . Those who obey the Lord lack nothing good” (Psalm 34:9-10).

That’s an incredible list of promises. If you follow God’s directions, you’ll be blessed, saved, watched over, taken care of, given what you ask for, and happy; you’ll live longer and lack nothing good.

Obedience is the premise behind all of the promises. God gives you His promises by grace. But you get to enjoy His promises when you follow His instructions.

Sometimes you understand God’s instructions. But sometimes you don’t. And you need to obey whether or not you understand.

Some of God’s commands may seem unfair. For example, the Bible says to take the first 10 percent of your income and give it back to Him. It says that when people do evil to you, you are to do good back to them. These things don’t always make sense from a human standpoint. But the things that don’t make sense to us are the things God asks us to do by faith. He wants us to trust Him and obey anyway.

I want you to enjoy all of God’s promises. Obedience is the key that unlocks them. Choose to follow His directions today in faith. He promises to reward you for your obedience.

THINK ABOUT THIS
– How are faith, obedience, and God’s promises all dependent on each other?
– Which of God’s commands have you not been obeying because you don’t understand why to obey? Will you commit to obeying in faith, even if you don’t understand?
– Spend a few minutes in prayer, thanking God for His promises and asking Him to help you obey His directions.