Monday, April 1, 2013

Thoughts on Obedience


Sometimes, the hardest part of having relationship with Christ is being obedient. I love my Lord, I love reading His Word, I love praising and worshiping  but when it comes down to actually being obedient  I often find myself struggling. I received the following daily devotional last month, and have been thinking about it for a little while... James and John literally walked away from everything to follow Jesus. As Pastor Whitehead points out, they didn't procrastinate or make excuses not to follow, they simply followed. I pray that I learn to do the same, I know the last time I called out to God and asked for direction, He showed me how many times He's pointed me toward my path and I've held on to one thing or another instead of just following. I made the decision some time ago to just go; it's hard and there are times I want to turn back around and say "forget about it!" Nevertheless, something always pops up to remind me, God will never stop me from turning around, He will try and encourage me if I actually listen, but ultimately the choice to be obedient is mine. So today I'm going to pray for myself and for you, but mostly for myself ;) for the strength to be obedient. 

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
– Matthew 4:21-22 (NIV)
Today’s commentary
by Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

Notice that Jesus didn’t ask them to make sure that everything was in order before they left their father’s business to follow Him. This is the nature of God’s calling. He does not tell us what is ahead. He does not check with us if we are ready. He simply calls to us and expects us to leave what we are doing, obey and follow Him. This pattern is as true today as it was back then.