Obedience

Written by Andrew Murray

'Jesus said: My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.' 'John 4:34. 'I have meat to eat that ye know not of.' Jesus had a hidden manna that He received from the Father, and that was the secret of His wonderful power. The nourishment of His life He received from God in heaven. No one could have discovered what it was; but when He tells it to us, it appears so simple that many a one gets puzzled over it. 'My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.'

Food is the meeting of need, satisfaction. The hunger of Jesus, the yearning of Jesus, extended only to one thing: to please God. Without that He could not rest; in that one thing, He had all He required. And when He found the will of God, He did it, and thereby at once fed His soul with its appropriate food, and was satisfied. Food involves appropriation, the exercise of fellowship. The weak soul, who truly surrenders himself to do the will of God, becomes thereby wonderfully strengthened.

Obedience to God, instead of exhausting the energies, only renews them. The doing of God's will was the food that Jesus had. Food involves quickening and joy. Eating is not only necessary as medicine for strength, but is also in itself something that is acceptable, and imparts pleasure. To observe a feast in the spirit is itself equivalent to food. Obedience to the will of God was Jesus' highest joy.

As One who did the will of God, Jesus became our Saviour (Heb. 10:9, 10). He therefore that trusts in Him, receives Him as the fulfiller of the will of God, and with Him receives also the will of God as his life. Now, then, Jesus has become my meat; and He Himself dwells in me as the power of my life. And now I know the means by which this life must be fed and strengthened within me.

The doing of God's will is my meat. The doing of God's will was for Jesus the bread of heaven; and since I have now received Jesus Himself as my heavenly bread, He teaches me to eat what He Himself ate: He teaches me to do the will of God. That is the meat of my soul. I received the same Spirit that was in Him, and it became truth for me, as for Him. My meat, the highest satisfaction of my soul, fellowship with God, renewal of my energies, an unbroken feast of joy, is 'to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.' Thus the feast of the Supper is prolonged in the continued life of obedience to the will of God

Thank God!

Written by Sandy Clay

We have nothing without God. Nothing in our life happens because “we” make it happen... it is because “he” makes it happen... It’s easy to praise God, and thank him for what he has done for us on a good day. However, even on bad days, thank God. Thank him for loving you, for guiding you, for dying for you, for giving you life. We cannot stand up and take credit for the good in our lives, we can only stand up and praise God for giving us the opportunity to allow him to work through us. Allowing God to work within you, to work through you, is life enriching. You may have every material possession you desire, but without God, you will always be poor. 

Despite the opposition that they had faced, the Levites stood before the Israelites and led them in praise: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.” Then they called loudly to the Lord, so that everyone could hear, and they said, “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.” (Nehemiah 9:5) 

“You alone are the Lord, you made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Nehemiah 9:6) Stand up and tell everyone, “Look what God did for me!” Show them his power, his grace, his mercy, his love, by telling them how much he has brought to your life. After the rebuilding of the Wall of Jerusalem, at the dedication the Levites were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully with songs of thanksgiving. They were rejoicing for what God had done for them. (Nehemiah 12:27) They were so filled with thanksgiving to God that the sound of the music and singing could be heard far outside the city. (Nehemiah 12:43) 

When things don’t go the way we expect them to... or simply how we want them to, we often have a hard time accepting it. We become angry and frustrated... We become like the Israelites once were: arrogant, stubborn, and disobedient. We refuse to listen, and fail to remember the great things that God has done for us. (Nehemiah 9:17) What we think would be wonderful, is not always part of God’s will. Remember that God’s will is wonderful... God’s will is perfect. You may have a good idea, but is it God’s idea of good? When things don’t go our way, we must still praise God. We must be obedient, know that God has a better plan for us, and understand that our current disappointment is just part of God’s plan. When life feels hopeless beyond belief, be thankful that God is in control, and that you are part of God’s plan. Be thankful that you do not have to do it alone.. God is with you. No matter what the situation may be, God is with you. In Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses tells Joshua “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.” 

There is no reason to be fearful, and we should not allow ourselves to become discouraged. As long as we are with God, he will be with us. What more could we possibly want in life, than to know that God is with us. What else do we need? As long as you have God, you will have everything that you need. When the Israelites were in need God gave them manna to eat, and produced water from a rock for them to drink. He will provide for your needs just as he did theirs. He may not give you what you want, but he will give you what you need. Trust in him, and never stop being thankful for the many blessings you are given. 

For all that God has given you, give thanks. Worship him every minute of every day, do everything that you do for God, to glorify God. It is not about you, it is about God’s glory. Thank God for being God. Things that seem unimportant... the most trivial part of your day is still important to God. Every piece of the puzzle, bright or dark, must be in place, before you can see the whole picture. Thank God for every piece of the puzzle that you are given.

Prayer for the Worried Mind

Father, You told me not to be afraid because You are with me. You will uphold me and those who come against me will not succeed (Isiah 41:10-11).

You said no evil would come upon me, nor any plague touch my home for You have ordered Your angels to protect me (Ps 91:10-11). 

You said when I walk through rivers of difficulty (when I’m ‘in over my head’) You won’t let me drown, and when I walk through fires of adversity (when ‘the heat is on’) You won’t allow me get burned for You are watching over me (Isiah 43:2-3). 

You said no weapon formed against me shall prosper (Isiah 54:17). I cannot keep the enemy’s weapons from being formed but I know You will keep them from prospering.

You said if I ask anything according to Your will, You would grant my request (1 John 5:14). 

You said when I walk in obedience before You I will be blessed when I come in and when I go out, blessed when I lie down and blessed when I get up (Deut. 28:6). 

You told me to give all my troubles to You and You would take care of me. So here they are! Today I’m standing on Your word. You said it! I believe it! That settles it!

Humility

Written by Curt Klingerman

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (KJV). 

Humility means to bring low, and it begins with denying self and ceasing from demanding to have one’s own way. It takes on the persona of a servant who gladly serves others for their sakes and ultimately for the Lord’s sake. Philippians 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a Man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (KJV). Humility does not seek a reputation, but those who seek to be recognized as humble are in fact seeking to have one. It goes along with the joke, “I take pride in my humility.” At the same time, humility does not deny one’s identity, nor does it pretend to be someone different. It is not humility to say we are less than what God says we are. Worse still is when a person puts himself down because of a negative belief system. It shows a dim view of God since He makes people wonderful because He is wonderful. Everything He does reflects His nature. Humility does not seek to exalt itself; therefore, it would be false humility to “humble” oneself as a means to gain a higher position, as if humility is some sort of “spiritual tool.” That would be the opposite of “Deny himself.” It would be hypocrisy to pretend to be humble, when a person is pride-filled and desires to look the part. Self-exaltation strikes again! James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up (KJV). 

Just like faith, humility requires love because it is outward focused (see Galatians 5:6). Since it gladly does things to benefit others, it takes joy in pleasing God. Humility surrenders the will to God and embraces His desires. Therefore, those who truly humble themselves before the Lord will wait on the Lord for promotion. Furthermore, they will allow God to decide what the promotion will be. They will not insert their idea of how they should be promoted. That means, they will not only allow God to define the promotion, but they will yield to the way He promotes them. The humble leave the method of promotion to the Lord. They will do nothing to bring it to pass by using their own means, especially if it employs manipulation. Humility walks by faith, which means the humble will wait on the proceeding Word of God before they make a move (see Romans 10:17). Just as Jesus waited on the Father and did what He saw Him do, as well as speak what He heard Him say (see John 5:19; 8:28-29; 12:49). We simply join in the process of promotion through obedience. 

Would you gladly serve others, even if they got a promotion and you did not? Could you help another come into his or her position without expecting a favor in return? Could you do it without taking the credit for it, and would you rejoice for him or her? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you may have some heart issues to contend with. A true servant of God will serve others well, and leave the rewards to Jesus. If we do things for others for personal gain, we are mere hired hands who have no interest in the Kingdom of God. Even as an employee, a servant will serve for reasons beyond the paycheck. He or she will do the work as unto the Lord, and influence his or her place of employment for the Kingdom as a result. In turn, it creates an environment more suited for the salvation of others who may be future heirs. If we do things strictly for our benefit, our actions will lack the love necessary to influence others for the Lord’s sake. 

Humility will always recognize its Source, which means every time the Lord gives us a victory in any given area, we should find ourselves taking a deeper posture of humility. We cannot afford to take on an attitude that looks down on others when they are struggling in their circumstances. When we are on the pinnacle of a mountain experience, it is easy to lose sight of the struggle to get there. The temptation is to brag about walking by faith as if there was no negativity in the experience. “Though-ah I walked through the shadow of death-ah, I walked by faith-ah!” Lets get real shall we? There was a lot of shaking in the boots going on in that valley. It was the faith of Jesus that got us through. The greater the victory, the greater the humility, because of the recognition it was God all along! When a brother or sister is struggling, we ought to come along side of them and encourage them; not look at them as if they have some sort of problem. Our yearning desire should be that they find God in the midst of the fire and experience the victory that only He can give. For us, it means that our confidence in the Lord Who dwells in us grows exponentially with every triumph, and a greater capacity to encourage another. With every opposition, comes an opportunity to glorify God. Conquest begins with humility. The quicker we acknowledge our lack of ability to overcome, the quicker He overcomes through us and with us. In the end, we will all lay our crowns before the feet of Jesus.