What is your personal testimony concerning obedience to God’s Word?

 2 Jul 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One


Readings:

Job 23

Job 24

Job 25

Acts 10:24-48


I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food (Job 23:12). 


What is your personal testimony concerning obedience to God’s Word?


Job is perplexed as he shares his innocence with his friends. He knows that he has honored God's commands yet suffers great affliction. Generally speaking, to obey God’s Word is to know His blessing. The same verb “departed” in the expression “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips” emerges in Joshua 1:8: “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth.” He is promised success for submitting to its teachings, which he experiences. The Lord stretches Job’s faith and blesses him again abundantly after his trial (James 5:11). We must also obey God’s Word, knowing that eventual blessings will come. 


Employment Point: Treasure God’s Word and be rewarded according to His perfect timing.

———————

Reflections

A reminder to me that God’s word is to be remembered not just in times of rejoicing but more so in times of trials or challenges. And also not forgetting to give the Lord all the thanks and praise. 


“I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”Job‬ ‭23‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • in the NIV version, necessary food is translated as daily bread. It kind of makes it clearer in a way that we have to remember His commands, regardless. This is unconditional.


“He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain. “If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing?””Job‬ ‭24‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • Job said it nicely. The wicked will receive their dues. We as humans may not see it with our eyes, but the Lord does and He deals with them as He deemed fit. The day of judgement will come and we can only pray that we will not be cast into the fire.


“Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: “Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? On whom does his light not rise? How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure?”Job‬ ‭25‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • I may not disagree with Bildad on this, for we all know that no human being is perfect. So when Job claimed that he is blameless or righteous, it is indeed hard to believe. 
  • I think what would more interesting is to know how he can claim that he is righteous-we know he is not wrong. And for the one man to claim that, many would have threw stones at him in the ancient times and even think of him as a person of ego.


“He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?””Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • In this verse, we saw how Peter was being obedient even though there was no precedence of a Jew visiting or even being associated with a Gentile. Yet Peter knows full well that it is the Lord’s leading for him to do so, not fully aware what he was there for actually.


“Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • Our merciful Lord accepts all as His children. His promise holds true that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have eternal life. This invite is for everyone, regardless of race, language or religion.


“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,”Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭44‬-‭46‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • I am quite sure this is no coincidence that Peter was accompanied by other men and that he did not go alone. Otherwise it would be so hard to prove that Gentiles do receive the Holy Spirit as the Jews as well!
  • On application, we can sure to trust God to provide all that we need. He will ensure that all is well.

————————

The Conditions of Discipleship

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

July 02


If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. —Luke 14:26, see also 27, 33


If the closest relationships of my life clash with the claims of Jesus Christ, Jesus says my choice must be instant obedience to him. Discipleship means passionate devotion to a person—to our Lord, Jesus Christ. There is a difference between devotion to a person and devotion to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause; he proclaimed that we should be personally devoted to him. To be a disciple is to be a devoted love-slave of the Lord.


Many of us who call ourselves Christians aren’t devoted to Jesus Christ. We may admire Jesus Christ, we may respect and reverence him, but we do not love him. The only lover of Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit, and the only way anyone on earth can possess passionate love for Jesus is if the Holy Spirit imparts it to them; it is the Spirit who puts the love of God in our hearts. When the Holy Spirit sees a chance of glorifying Jesus through you, he will take your heart, your nerves, your whole personality, and make you simply blaze and glow with devotion to the Lord.


What does this devotion look like? The life of the devoted Christian is marked by the moral originality that comes from abandonment to God. This spontaneous obedience to the Spirit leaves the Christian disciple open to a charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ: the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent to God. As Christians, we must be consistent to the life of the Son of God inside us, not to our creeds and ideologies. People pour themselves into creeds. God has to blast them out of their prejudices before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.


Job 22-24; Acts 11


WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.

———————-

Reflections

Here, Oswald is saying that if we want to be disciples of Christ, we will need to be wholly, 100% devoted to the Lord. It would be a commitment of a lifetime. If I were to pull an analogy, it would be quite similar to a wedding vow.


The standard marriage vows which will be used in solemnisation ceremonies at the Registry of Marriages (ROM) are:

    (1) “In token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love, with this ring, I marry you” (shorter version)

    (2) “I vow to always keep my love, as pure as it is today.

          In your laughter, and your tears, in your sickness, and your health.

          In your comfort, and your fear, in your poverty and your wealth.

          I promise to be true to you, I promise to cherish you.

          I give this ring, as a token, I now marry you.”

(longer version)


Now if we were to apply these vows to our devotion to Christ, what would it look like? We have no rings per se but a life in Christ is a life fully surrendered into His hands. Perhaps something like this?

    (1) “In token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love, with the offering of my life to You O Lord, as a living sacrifice, I worship you” (shorter version)

    (2) “I vow to always keep my love, as pure as it is today.

          In my days of rejoicing, and my days of grief, in my days of sickness, and in my days of health.

          In the days of my comfort, and in the days of my fear, in the days of lack and in the days good providence.

          I promise to be true to you, I promise to have no other gods but you, as my Lord and Saviour.

          I surrender my life to You, as a living sacrifice, both now and forever more”

(longer version)


I guess the challenge would be whether we have the courage, as well as a ready and committed heart to say such a vow to the Lord. It is about the heart of worship. To tell Him that He is God. I choose You. I honour You. I give You my heart, my life, my attention and my love.


Let’s pray by singing the song “The Heart of Worship”


When the music fades

All is stripped away

And I simply come


Longin' just to bring

Something that's of worth

That will bless Your heart


I'll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what You have required


You search much deeper within

Through the ways things appear

You're looking into my heart


I'm comin' back to the heart of worship

And it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus


I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it

When it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus


King of endless worth

No one could express

How much You deserve?


Though I'm weak and poor

All I have is Yours

Every single breath


I'll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what You have required


You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You're looking into my heart


I'm comin' back to the heart of worship

And it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus


I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it

When it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus


I'm comin' back to the heart of worship

'Cause it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus


I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it

'Cause it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus


I'll bring You more than a song

I'll bring You more than a song…..


I'll bring You more than a song

I'll bring You more than a song


I'm comin' back to the heart of worship

'Cause it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus


I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it

'Cause it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus…..

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