FROM ACTS 5:17-42
Can you imagine how hard it must've been for Peter and the apostles to obey what the angles told them about teaching in the temple courts when it looked like they had escaped from jail!?!
But they were obedient anyway!
And when they were questioned they said-
WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN! (and apparently also rather than their own fears, feelings, what other people thought, or what they deserved because of what they had already been through.)
Gamaliel, who was a highly respected teacher of the law, also showed incredible obedience! Despite all kinds of possiblities, he gave an incredibly impressive persuasive speech.
Finally the apostles, once again, show unconditional obedience when the Sanhedrin let them go and commanded them not to speak the name of Jesus. The first thing they did was REJOICE for the priviledge of being counted worthy to suffer for the Name. Secondly they continued day after day anyway. It says they NEVER STOPPED!
WHAT INCREDIBLE OBEDIENCE!!!
How different our world would be if we were all obedient to what God has called us to do. This world would be flipped upside down for Christ but time and time again we as Christians fail to do what we know it right. Those who claim to be Christians long for nothing else to do great things for God but with that same yearning there is also great laziness. Every year hundreds of books are published with titles along the lines of "How To Find God's Will For Your Life" or "How To Be A Better Christian" when the truth is, if we were obedient, everything else would fall into place.
ReplyDeletePeople tend to think that the disciples and those who lived and walked with Jesus had it easy because they could SEE JESUS but we TODAY have something even better. We today have the GREAT HELPER (the Holy Spirit) that God sent down after Jesus left and He gives believers powers and abilities to do great things for God but we cut it off at the knees with our lack of obedience. We have the mentality that if we are doing SOME things for God (Going to Church, Reading our Bible, Praying) then we are being obedient but where is the (Evangelism, Becoming a Student of God's Word, Bringing Friends and Relatives to Christ)...To me partial obedience is still FULL DISOBEDIENCE and our commitment mush change for great things to be done.