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Scripture for the day: John 12:49-50 For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
Thought for the day: Let’s deal with the obvious right away, shall we? There really is a key to continual obedience to the Father and it’s just this: living in a close and personal relationship to the Son. We are kept in right relationship by remaining in His presence daily. So, if we’re experiencing difficulty or confusion in the area of obedience, we need to look first at our relationship with Him. Has something changed? Have we drifted from the center of His will? Has our fellowship with Jesus been compromised through our own actions or attitudes? To answer these questions and provide some perspective, let’s take a look at Jesus’ relationship with the Father.
Whenever the people began to point to the things Jesus was doing, the miracles of feeding and healing, He immediately deflected their attention to the Father. He said, “Listen, this isn’t about what I’m doing; I only do what the Father has told me to do. It’s all about Him.” When they remarked on His teachings, whether those remarks were positive or negative, Jesus replied, “Hey, it’s not what I have to say; I’m only repeating what I’ve heard the Father say.” And was it not His continual close fellowship with the Father that allowed Him to do and to say what He did and said? Everything He did and everything He said were the result of that relationship. The same is intended to be true His disciples.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” There is only one way in which the apostle Paul could make this bold statement; he was in constant fellowship with the Savior through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The same is true for you and me.
Take a quick journey through the Old Testament, when God was establishing the several covenant relationships He had with His people and you will find that the primary emphasis was never on keeping rules or performing the proper rituals. Those were simply the means God provided for expressing the relationship. Consistently, God’s call was this: “Obey My voice, and I will be your God.” Seldom is the admonition to “obey My commandments.” Why? Because real obedience requires relationship.
For far too many of us, life is a lot easier if we simply listen to Godly men and women, relying on them to rightly divide the Word of God. A lot more effort is needed to spend time with the Savior, hearing His own voice. But that’s exactly what we need to be doing. As we spend time with Him and listen to His voice, obedience becomes as natural as breathing. His desire for those who call themselves by His name has always been, “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them and they follow me.”
Lord, help us to remain so close to Your side that the slightest whisper from your lips will be heard and received, that we might know the joys of obedience from the heart.
Now go take on your world. - Bill