Tag: obey

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Matthew Devotionals

Obey, trust, worship

Matthew

[Jesus] answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

Father, there are times in my life you withhold things from me that I need or want. Not because they are not good. But to remind me that while these other things may be good or important, they are not enough to give me a life that is fulfilling.

What truly gives me life is living by every word that comes from your mouth.

So Father, help me to live in obedience to your good Word, just as Jesus did. (John 4:34)

Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” (7, Deuteronomy 6:16; Exodus 17:7)

Father, I do believe you love me. I do believe that you are with me.

So let me not be like the Israelites who questioned your love when times got hard. Instead, help me to trust you completely as Jesus did, as a little child trusts his good father.

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” (10, Deuteronomy 6:13)

God, you alone are worthy of my worship. So let my words, my thoughts, my deeds, my life, be worship to you every moment of every day. Let me worship or serve no other.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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John Devotionals

Ramping up our faith

John

Martha’s faith was pretty remarkable when you think about it.

Even though Jesus had delayed in coming when her brother was sick, and as a result her brother died, her faith in Jesus never wavered.

So many people in her position would have been so disappointed in Jesus that they would have just said, “I’m done with Jesus. He doesn’t really care about me.”

But though she was clearly hurting, and couldn’t understand why Jesus didn’t come earlier (John 11:21), she said,

Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. (John 11:22)

You see clearly from the next several verses that she was not at all thinking Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead. All she was saying was, “I still believe in you Jesus. I still believe you are from God.”

She later affirms,

I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world. (27)

Martha clearly had faith. But Jesus wanted her to ramp up her faith. He wanted her to deepen her understanding of just who he was.

So he told her,

I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. (25-26)

Talk about needing to ramp up your understanding of who Jesus is. No mere human could claim this. There is only one source of life, and that’s God.

Frankly, I think Martha’s head was spinning. With a child’s faith, she said, “Yes,” but it’s clear that she did not fully understand Jesus’ words.

And so when Jesus told her to roll away the stone to Lazarus’ tomb, she objected. At that point, Jesus once again challenged her to ramp up her faith in a very practical way: obey him. (39-41)

And when she did, she came to a deeper understanding of who Jesus truly was. That understanding became even more complete when she saw Jesus himself rise from the dead.

Do you really want to know Jesus better? Obey him.

Even when you don’t understand what he’s doing or not doing. Even when you don’t understand why he’s telling you what he’s telling you. Obey him.

In what area of your life is Jesus now telling you, “Trust me. Obey me.”

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Mark Devotionals

Listen to him!

Mark

I don’t find it much a coincidence that shortly after Peter had been arguing with Jesus over his mission, the Father said what he did.

On that high mountain, for the first time, Peter, James, and John, caught a glimpse of Jesus’ true glory. And then the Father spoke.

“This is my beloved Son; listen to him! (Mark 9:7)

That word “listen” also has the strong nuance of, “obey.”

I can’t help but think Peter heard the Father’s words as a rebuke. “Don’t argue with my beloved Son. Obey him!”

I also don’t find it a coincidence that Moses appeared with Jesus on that mountain. Moses himself had told the Israelites,

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. You must listen to everything he tells you.

And everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be completely cut off from the people. (Acts 3:22-23, see also Deuteronomy 18:15-19)

Years later, the writer of Hebrews said something similar in Hebrews 3, comparing Moses and Jesus. His point?

“Don’t rebel like the Israelites did against Moses. Someone far greater has come. Moses was a mere servant. But Jesus is God’s Son. Listen to him! Believe him! Obey him! If you do, you will find rest. If you don’t, you will be judged.”

Let us not argue with our Lord as Peter did. But each day, let us listen to, believe, and obey him.

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Hebrews

Following and praying for your leaders

Hebrews

I have great respect for the pastors who have been over me.

I’ve been teaching God’s word for a long time, but have never sensed the call to be a pastor.

If all being a pastor meant was teaching God’s word, I could probably do that. But a pastor is called to do much more in shepherding the flock God has given them.

We forget that sometimes. And not only do they have the responsibility of shepherding the church, they have the everyday responsibility of shepherding their families as well.

These are heavy responsibilities. And most take them seriously because they know that one day they will answer to God for what they have done.

More, they know that because of the specific responsibilities they have over God’s flock, they are held to higher account than most people.

And so the writer of Hebrews tells us,

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.

Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage of you. (Hebrews 13:17)

Like I said, being a pastor is tough as it is. It becomes even tougher when his own flock starts sniping at him. Criticizing him. Tearing him apart for every mistake that he makes. Questioning every decision he makes in leading the church.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Don’t do that. Follow them. Submit to their authority.”

Why? Because God is the one that gave them that authority. And ultimately, he is the one they are accountable to. He is the one who will judge them if they go off the right path, not you.

When we are constantly criticizing and tearing down our pastors, their job becomes a burden instead of the joy God intends it to be.

That’s not only bad for them. It’s also bad for us. Instead of being able to focus on all the things God has called them to do, they are forced to put out all the fires in the church.

And all the while Satan laughs.

So don’t be a part of that.

Is there no room, then, for criticism of a pastor? Certainly, there is.

If they’re getting into false teaching, they must be confronted.

If they’re neck deep in sin and immorality and will not repent, they must be confronted. And Paul deals with such situations in 1 Timothy 5.

But if you’re simply dealing with differences of opinion, in the direction of the church, in how things are run, etc., follow the leader God has given you. It’s entirely possible that they see things that you cannot.

And if your pastor does make a mistake in these things (and they inevitably will)? Don’t snipe. Don’t criticize. Build them up. Encourage them. And above all, pray.

The writer of Hebrews said,

Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. (18)

Most pastors are the same. Even though they feel like they have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way, they still fall. They still make mistakes. So pray for them.

What is your attitude toward your pastor?

Categories
Jeremiah

Honor, trust, and obedience

Jeremiah

I suppose it would be easy to just skip over this section in which God tells the Israelites to keep the Sabbath.  Easy because Paul wrote to the Christians at Colosse not to let people judge them concerning the Sabbath. 

I’ve written more on this here.

But I think there are some principals that we can take from this passage. 

The keeping of the Sabbath was something that the Israelites did that showed three things. 

It showed that they honored God as their creator.  They remembered his creative work and how on the 7th day he rested from that work. 

It also showed their trust in him.  They took a day off from work, trusting that God would provide their needs, even if they did so. 

And finally, it showed their obedience.  Trust and obedience are very much linked.  Without trust, it’s very difficult to obey God.

Unfortunately, the Israelites failed on all three counts. 

God told them, “If you will only keep the Sabbath, you will find blessing.  But if you don’t, judgment will come.” 

Why?  Because in violating the Sabbath, they failed to show honor towards God, they failed to trust him, and they failed to obey him, even in something that was pretty easy to do. 

Their failure to keep the Sabbath was but a symptom of the overall problem the Israelites had in their relationship with God.

How about you? 

Do you honor God with your life?  Do you remember all that he has done for you, and praise him for it? 

Do you trust him?  Do you trust that his way is best and that he really does want the best for you?  And do you obey him even in the little things?

That’s what God desired from his people.  And that’s what he desires from us. 

May we be a people that honors, trusts, and obeys him.