We Are Called To Obey

I'm sure all of us is familiar on the verse about obedience. According to Ephesians 6:1,(TEV) "Children, it is your christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do".

For sure, most of us doesn't want to hear this verse especially every time our parents asks us to do something, like cleaning the house, doing good in school etc. Its normal! I guess all of us experienced that.

How about now that we already grown old?

You know what, this is not just about for children and young individuals. This was intended for us all. In fact, whether we are old or young, still we are childrens of our parents right? Whether you like it or not, this is a lifelong command given to us childrens.

What the importance of obeying this verse?

On the following verse in Ephesians 6, it says "Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

There will always be fruit of obedience, it may not be instant but it is a promise of God to those who obey. We may not get the reward we wanted, you can be assured for that it is the best.

I've been hearing this verse since my childhood and my commitment to it is simply for my parents sake. Suddenly certain idea comed to me as I read this verse today.
You know what, I believe God intended to teach us to obey our parents because it will prepare us on a far greater obedience that God want us to do.

The question is, can we really follow God if we even don't know how to follow our parents. In fact, if its harder for us to obey someone who is visible, it will be hard for us to obey someone who is unseen, right?


Always Remember:
Obedience is a very hard task, but its worth doing. It may not be easy for us, but you can be assured that obeying is always the right thing to do.

I Samuel 15:22 "Obedience is better than Sacrifice".



By: Edwin Joseph

He Was Reachable

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
John 1:14 NKJV

“The Word became flesh,” John said. In other words…he was touchable, approachable, reachable. And, what’s more, he was ordinary. If he were here today, you probably wouldn’t notice him as he walked through a shopping mall. He wouldn’t turn heads by the clothes he wore or the jewelry he flashed.

“Just call me Jesus,” you can almost hear him say.

He was the kind of fellow you’d invite to watch the Rams-Giants game at your house. He’s wrestle on the floor with your kids, doze on your couch, and cook steaks on your grill. He’d laugh at your jokes and tell a few of his own. And when you spoke, he’d listen to you as if he had all the time in eternity.

And one thing’s for sure, you’d invite him back.



From: Max Lucado

Praising the Lord for Who He Is

“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” Psalm 104:33

·We have a God who is simply presented in all of creation; we should
recognize Him.
·We have a God who is sovereignly powerful; we should respect Him.
·We have a God who is surely purposeful; we should reverence Him.
·We have a God who is savingly personal; we should receive Him.

All of that is in Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”

We have an obligation to God. We are twice His. First, we are His because of creation, and secondly, we are His because of redemption. He made us and He bought us.

Have you ever had something very precious and lost it? Then gratefully, it was restored to you again? That’s just an inkling of the treasure you are to God!


From: CrossWalk Devotional

God’s Saving Pursuit

Revelation 3:20 is a fantastic key passage that truly sets the Christian faith apart from the other religions of the world. Here, we have a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, patiently knocking on the door of our hearts. What a fabulous illustration of God’s saving pursuit.

You see, in most other religions, the scene would be reversed. The picture would be of you or me knocking on the door of heaven, trying to get in. But here, we understand that Jesus is the one who pursues. When you look at the passage in its original Greek language, you notice that the Lord doesn’t just walk up and knock once or twice. The verb form denotes continual action. He stands there knocking, and He just keeps on standing there and knocking.

We see this active pursuit all through the Scriptures. In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned, did they sorrowfully seek out the Lord and ask forgiveness? No, it was the Lord God who called out to them, actively seeking the first couple and giving them a chance to confess their sin (Gen. 3:8-9).

And think about the apostle Paul. Did he come to know the Savior by searching for Christ? No! Instead, Jesus sought out the then-persecutor of the church, meeting up with him on the Damascus Road and calling him into repentance (Acts 9:1-6).

The Savior has allowed us the honor of participating in His pursuit of man. Are you living out that calling? Jesus is at work all around you; join Him today in spreading the Good News everyone needs to hear.



From: Early Light Devotional

God Planned You as a Master Creation

Psalm 139:13-15
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.


“Created by God”

Today we will begin to consider some scripture passages to discover just how wonderful, unique, and important you are. Nearly everyone dislikes something about his physique or her personality. Tall people wish they were shorter. Short people would give anything to be taller. Math whiz kids envy those who can read anything and figure out what it means. Athletes sometimes hate not being able to do as well in school as other kids do. It doesn’t really seem to matter what set of strengths God gave us, we can always find someone we would rather be like.

Today’s scripture tells us that God made each individual person on earth exactly the way he wanted them to be. He has a job for each of us to do that requires the precise set of strengths and weaknesses he programmed into us.

The talents and positive personality traits God gave us make it possible for us do particular things. Those who love grammar and reading often become writers. Those who have better-than-average physical strength or coordination can take on jobs like building things or hiking to isolated villages to share the gospel. We all appreciate the talents of pianists, guitar players and singers who can lead us in worship.

But what about our weaknesses? Shy people make incredible listeners. Those who struggle with reading may become engineers or businessmen. The athletically challenged frequently compensate by organizing events and encouraging others. God has another important purpose for giving us some weak points. He wants to be sure that we can sympathize with our friends who also have difficulties. Because we become stronger and more compassionate as the result of our struggles, we can help others do the same.

We must remember that God’s is reflected in everything He makes. He is absolutely and perfectly good. So, anything he creates has to be awesome. He made you exactly the way you are to do something that only you can do. What a concept!
David, who wrote this Psalm, was the youngest in his family. His dad and brothers didn’t think he was even important enough to call away from the sheep when Samuel came to anoint the next king of Israel. But, God knew David would make a great king. After all, God created him for that purpose way before he was born. David had times when he wondered if God could ever use him, but he kept on obeying the Lord. As a result, he became one of the greatest heroes in the Bible. There are no unimportant jobs and no worthless people in God’s eyes. God created you for a job in his kingdom that is just as important as the one David did.


Today’s Prayer:
My God and my Creator, I thank you for making me different from every other human being. Thank you that your goodness and wisdom are expressed in the way you mixed up my DNA. Help me accept myself as your wonderful creation and find the role you have for me to play in your plans, today and always. Amen.


From: New Wine Skin - Written by Martha E Menne

LOVE IS KIND

“Love envies not, and is kind.” 1 Corinthians 13:4


You cannot view the life of Christ without seeing this virtue of kindness emanating from Him in every circumstance that He confronted. There was a generous, warm, compassionate nature that was evident in all He did. These virtues the Lord desires to see manifested in our lives.

What was your response when someone expressed these qualities of love at a time you were in great distress? When that happened to me, I was overwhelmed that someone cared and desired to come along aside of me in my distress and express a measure of God’s love. Such virtues we need to manifest in our lives toward those God brings before us. How moving it is to see someone who is genuinely kind. We need to be sensitive to the need of others, and not hesitate to show kindness through compassion, care, encouragement, and prayer.

Peter says, “add to your godliness brotherly love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). It is interesting that Peter first mentions godliness, and then challenges the believer to add brotherly love. Before we can manifest any measure of brotherly love, we must have our lives characterized by godliness. Certainly this emphasizes from where such love is initiated and sustained--from GOD. Brotherly love is the fruit of godliness, and kindness is the fruit of brotherly love.

Two things will be evident in a person who exemplifies kindness. First, he has a “compassionate sensitivity” to the heart of others. His spirit seems drawn to the one who needs an expression of kindness. There is within their heart a kindred spirit, a tenderness, and a longing to show kindness for Jesus’ sake. Secondly, I believe such a one is always seeking out opportunities to show some measure of loving concern, identifying with that one in need, knowing it will magnify the Lord when they are led by the Holy Spirit.

Now this is done, NOT in the energy of the flesh, but purely in response to, and in the power of, the Holy Spirit. Otherwise it is merely fleshly concern and motivated from our carnal nature. Genuine godly kindness is born of God and instilled in our hearts as we are receptive and responsive to the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit will impact that person with “the love of God.”

Look at two occasions that show such godly kindness. Is there a more heart-moving scene than when Joseph, after all the jealousy, hatred, bitterness, and betrayal shown to him by his brothers, is now in position to execute vengeance on them. They stand before Joseph, who is second only to the king of Egypt, and with mercy and grace he speaks to them in kindness and love…I AM JOSEPH! Wow! What a scene!

What immeasurable kindness David showed to the son of Jonathan, because of the covenant he had made with Jonathan. “Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? (2 Samuel 9:1). Then the crippled, miserable, and lonely son of Jonathan is brought before David. David speaks kindly to him, and “restores to him all of the land of Saul.” Then he says, “you shall eat at my table continually as one of the king’s sons!” What a moving scene of godly kindness and love.

Oh, that such kindness would adorn our life, and find expression to the many on every side, who are hurting and longing for someone to show them “kindness for Jesus' sake.” Let kindness reign in your life to change the life of another.



From: Literature International Ministry - Ed Powell

First Blossoms

Paul wrote, "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ."
- Philippians 1:6 (NRSV)


AS a new Christian, I compared myself to other Christians. I felt I wasn't good enough. I was sure I was a disappointment to God.

Then one September day, my little wattle tree bloomed for the first time. I was so excited to see the early blossoms that I took my son to share the moment with me.

Next to that little tree was a more established wattle tree. At this time, it was big, bushy, and in full bloom. It was beautiful. I took great pride in that big wattle tree. However, I took as much pride in the smaller wattle tree that was beginning to bloom.

As I looked at my two trees, one beautiful and established, the other smaller but starting to bloom, I realized that God sees us in a similar way. Yes, God rejoices in established Christians who have grown in their faith and are producing an abundance of fruit. But I am sure God rejoices just as much in new Christians who are beginning to grow.


Prayer
God, we are sorry for comparing ourselves to other Christians. Help us to pay attention to our own growth. Amen.


From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Liz Palmer

The Nature of Degeneration

Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . — Romans 5:12


The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26 ). The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, "I am my own god." This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis— my claim to my right to myself. When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25 ).

Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch— only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entire human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person responsible for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemnation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so. From that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation. "This is the condemnation [and the critical moment], that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light . . . " ( John 3:19 ).



From: RBC-Utmost For His Highest