Obedience

Taking God At His Word

Ken

In 1940, Theodore Geisel, under the pen name of Dr. Seuss, published an illustrated children’s book, Horton Hatches the Egg. The nonsense of an elephant by the name of Horton being tricked into sitting on an egg in a nest in a tree to give Mayzie, the mother bird, a break, where she finds herself traveling down to Palm Beach, is the fanciful humor of the story. Horton must undergo ridicule, privation, and capture by humans to fulfill his promise to sit on the egg. Horton repeatedly asserts, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!” Without the ridiculousness of the storyline, you can easily see this depicting God’s integrity.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4 NKJV).

What does it mean to take God at His Word?

God means what He says.

This goes beyond a debate between a figurative versus literal interpretation of Scripture. Classic conservative Christianity is inclined to take Scripture more literally, while typical liberal theology is compelled to receive Scripture more figuratively, both firmly believing they promote obedience to God. “I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more” (Numbers 22:18).

It is a question of God’s integrity.

Taking God at His Word emphasizes His integrity. Can God be trusted as seeking our highest good, while we seek His kingdom first? We tend to compare God to the people we know, but we sense the awkwardness of limiting the Almighty to such a low standard. Admitting the integrity of God keeping His Word compared to our difficulty of doing what we say, Does not the creation of man in His image guarantee the possibility of a similar integrity in humanity? “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).

Taking God at His Word is our necessity.

Taking God at His Word is required by His Law, because it is our necessity and would demonstrate our integrity. God’s Law promotes the highest good of His being and the good of our neighbor as ourself. Our prosperity and success depend upon it. Meditating upon this day and night must be an integral part of our very existence. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

Our repeated failure to demonstrate the integrity of taking God at His Word is the very reason for the New Covenant.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31).

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27).

Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to further implement the plan which had been in place from the very beginning. An All Wise God knows our capabilities as well as our shortcomings, which we would manifest throughout the Garden, the Flood, the Tower, the Patriarchs, Egypt, the Wilderness, the Conquest, the Judges, the Kings, the Prophets, the Captivity, the Second Temple, the Silent Years, the Apostles, the Early Church, the Persecuted Church, the Institutional Church, the Missionary Church, the Lukewarm Church, the Tribulational Saints, and the Final Spiritual Rebirth of the Nation of Israel at His Second Coming. The history of the Saints is a carefully orchestrated program of an All Wise God marshaling His resources in the Unseen Realm against the Adversary and his hordes, while masterfully moving throughout time and space to produce a people, who will magnify Him throughout eternity.

“6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. 13 In that He says, A new covenant, He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:6-13 NKJV).

Taking God at His Word becomes Spirit-inspired obedience, when understood correctly, in this New Testament Age.

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27).

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

“He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).

“Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).

From the beginning, man was created with the ability to reflect and obey God, but we have been inconsistent at best. After the first sin, humanity experienced the continual death of the physical creation, both of our mortal body, as well as our physical environment, i.e., Second Law of Thermodynamics (Romans 8:22). We retain the ability and necessity of obedience, which is pointedly, taking God at His Word. God said, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Physically, they were still alive, though their bodies began to experience the degenerating effects of physical death, but they were already spiritually dead. Just as physical death is separation of the soul from the body, spiritual death is separation of the soul from God. They “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8), separated from the life of God and “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Spiritual regeneration must be restoring our separation from God through Christ. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1Corinthians 15:22).

Taking God at His Word is a restoration to obedience.

How does God affect such a change in us?

The New Covenant or New Testament inspires us to walk in obedience.

Confirmation of His covenant with us is by the sealing of the Blood of Jesus. It shouldn’t surprise us, but we should advocate before the Courts of Heaven, which is prayer, that the shed Blood of Jesus from His sacrificial, substitutionary death, is the only foundation for restoring our obedience. And, we commemorate this when we take Communion. “This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). The Blood of Jesus is God’s antidote for sin, and it is received by faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Ours is not a natural progression to obedience, but it is the response to the pervasive influence of God throughout our life and the whole of human history, not to force us to obedience, but by a gentle persuasion, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to cause us to walk in His statutes (Ezekiel 36:27), which means we are taking God at His Word. “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16). Whether referring to obedience under the Old Covenant or New, only the influence of the Spirit of Almighty God can secure our obedience. No formula, creed, or tradition is capable of breathing life into any people. Trust in no man. If God comforts us with His Word, we are saved. If God comforts us not, we are lost. “Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert” (43:19). Active faith alone is able to receive the promise of Scripture. If we cannot take God at His Word, how can we trust or obey Him?

Taking God at His Word is to rely upon the integrity of God to keep His law, Gospel, promises, and prophecies.

From the outset, ONLY Jesus can save us. Love alone can secure our heart, but a people without understanding knows not whom to trust or from whom to flee. Secure the promise. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Understanding is built a little at a time until it is a refuge to which even others desire to flee.

God’s Moral Law: is and always will be: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Jesus repeated the essence of this irrevocable law: “Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). If taking God at His Word is not keeping the Moral Law, then of what value is it to take God at His Word? And remember, Jesus saves us from our not having kept that law, but the gift of His Spirit now is available “both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Now we will successfully take God at His Word by walking in obedience.

God’s Gospel: is the Good News of a Second Chance, which the devil never had. Remember, God never owed anyone a Second Chance, so rejoice in His mercy. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is only significant, if we believe, repent, and obey the Gospel. Peter instructed his listeners at Pentecost: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Obeying the Gospel is doing whatever Jesus said you are supposed to do, which is consistent with your faith in Him. Because the rich young ruler had such an attachment to his wealth, Jesus told him he couldn’t go to heaven without giving up his wealth. “17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me” (Mark 10:17, 21).

God’s promises: “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2Corinthians 1:20). If we take God at His Word, then we will believe His promises, “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Peter 1:4). The sanctifying effect of God’s promises must be evident in our present hope of salvation, our conduct in this world, and in our hope of heaven. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thessalonians 5:23).

God’s prophecies: are part of His promise of imminent return. The Jews of Christ’s day acknowledged the idea of a coming Messiah, but they were not spiritually ready for Jesus, or they would have understood the prophecies that foretold His coming. This indictment of their lack of spiritual walk, as well as, their lack of Scriptural understanding of the OT prophecies should motivate us to balance both in light of His Second Coming and Rapture of the Church. Paul indicted the Thessalonians for their lack of employing themselves in the daily process of feeding themselves and their families through secular employment. “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2Thessalonians 3:10). This same Paul had just instructed the same Thessalonians about the Antichrist. “5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he [Antichrist] may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He [Holy Spirit] who now restrains will do so until He [Holy Spirit] is taken out of the way [at the Rapture of the Church]” (2Thessalonians 2:5-7). Taking God at His Word is believing the prophecies of Jesus’ return. “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).

Father, we ask that You would make us to be a people, who take You at Your Word. May we not be those who claim to know You, but do not walk in obedience. Help us to build Your kingdom in the smallest act of faith to the largest ambition of taking the Kingdom of Heaven by force of Your Spirit. Cause us to magnify Your integrity. May we never tire of offering You praise for Your faithfulness. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen and amen.

What Is Man?

Ken

Why has God gone through so much trouble for us? In our vanity, we like to think of ourselves highly; but, look around, are there not more than a few, who have done more impressively than ourselves? “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3 NKJV).

Humans, as remarkable as they are, one would think, cannot be as fascinating as the vastness and scope of the material universe, which God created, in its microcosm and macrocosm. And yet, “what is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:4). Lucifer, as the apex of God’s moral creation, became perplexed, when he pondered how the Son was eternally begotten of the Father. “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You” (2:7). Aren’t sons inferior to their fathers? “Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?” (John 14:9). So, how could the Eternally Begotten Son of God be equal to the Father? And, how could that Son expect his (Lucifer’s) worship? Even further, how could he (Lucifer) prospectively degrade himself to serve yet-to-be-created humans, who would be “a little lower than the angels” (Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 2:7, 9)? “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Did it not consternate Lucifer to learn of the Almighty’s plan for angels to be used to minister as servants to the lowliest of humans? “For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12). It must have been so, since he cited that very Scripture back to Jesus, when he was tempting the Son of God in the wilderness. “And said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, and, In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Matthew 4:6).

It appears this very thought may have been more than Lucifer could tolerate. “For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Could this have been the Original Sin of Lucifer before Eve then Adam committed the First Human Transgression? Any wonder the devil hates us so? “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1Peter 5:8-9). And, notice how he appealed to Eve’s sense of wondering why the Almighty would forbid eating only of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:17). The Serpent desired that she would succumb exactly as he had failed. After all, the epitome of sin is seeking what God informed us wasn’t ours to possess, nor loving Yahweh for choosing it so, nor trusting the LORD for limiting us so. Lucifer wanted God’s position; but, it is impossible for the creature to become the Creator. Eve wanted to know what God knew about good and evil; but, it is impossible for the creature to handle knowledge too high for them. Neither did they trust Yahweh enough for limiting them nor loved Him enough for choosing it to be so.

“LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me” (Psalm 131:1).

Never did God owe anyone the opportunity to repent; not you, nor I, nor Lucifer. If God owed anyone a Second Chance, then Salvation would be a strict matter of justice, and not the Unmerited Favor of a gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

As an archangel, Lucifer was a “covering cherub” (Ezekiel 28:16), yet he was tasked to be among the “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). With no second chance to reconsider, he refused. His disdain and dread of the Blood of Jesus lies in his contempt of Jesus taking the form of a man, then substituting Himself as a sacrifice for sinful humanity. Flesh and blood were always the intention of the Godhead manifesting Jesus as the Eternally Begotten Son of God. This was unacceptable to Lucifer. Our second chance opportunity to repent is the very point of agitation for Satan, where “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2Peter 2:4).

What is Man?

  1. Humanity was created for God’s own ends. “The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom” (Proverbs 16:4).
  2. God does not become more profitable because of anything humanity can do for Him. “Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?” (Job 22:2).
  3. Humans are not worthy of God’s honor. “What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him?” (Job 7:17).
  4. Humankind are God’s creation to be commanded. “I have made the earth, And created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded” (Isaiah 45:12).
  5. Jesus the Messiah is our Creator. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). The Spirit of Yahweh is our Creator, since it takes faith to be saved and to receive the revelation of the Divinity of the Spirit and Son as our Triune Creator. “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).
  6. Though the material universe was created ex nihilo (out of nothing), which is miraculous, Adam was created directly from dirt, also a miracle. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
  7. God created us in His likeness, more specifically, He created us with the moral capacity to choose to reflect Him, or to reject Himself, a capacity difficult to imagine. “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26).

God created the first human, whom we know as Adam, which is also the same Hebrew word for man (1:26). Therefore, God named the human he created Adam, expecting Adam’s obedience (Isaiah 45:12), just as parents expect obedience from their offspring (Ephesians 6:1), whom they name. Adam expected obedience from his wife, whom he named  (Genesis 3:20), just as obedience is expected by husbands of their wives (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18), who receive their married name from their husbands.

Father, we take great delight in looking to You as our Father. We acknowledge You as so much greater and higher than us that none is higher than You. May Your purposes be performed in us and through us. May we be privileged to understand somewhat of Your plan that we may cooperate with Your plans and prophecies. May the Son of Man return soon as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.

Old Testament Expectation of Miracles for the Messiah

Ken

The miraculous is to be expected whenever God must make a statement to arrest the attention of His intended audience, which serves His purpose, when ordinary means would not be sufficient. This must be so, since He alone determines when the ordinary must be replaced by the extraordinary. Even our day to day obedience, though ordinary, He has promised to inspire and confirm through His New Covenant giving of the Holy Spirit. “And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27 NIV). But, if the Spirit of God can so captivate His children, “If you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done” (Matthew 21:21). O faith, be inspired to this, and more! 

OT: Messiah would perform miracles, but references to vengeance refer to Christ’s cleansing of the Temple at His First Coming (John 2), as well as pointing to His Second Coming. 

“4 say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you. 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:4-6 NIV).  

NT: Jesus performed miracles, as proof of His messiahship, even to John the Baptist. 

“2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask Him, Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? 4 Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.” (Matthew 11:2-6). 

OT: Messiah would perform miracles with His First Coming, but also vengeance at His Second Coming.

“1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1-2). 

NT: Jesus worked miracles in His First Coming; but notice, He stopped short of mentioning vengeance to His hearers at Nazareth, since that would be for His Second Coming.

“18 The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). 

Significance of Christ’s Miracles 

“37 Do not believe Me unless I do the works of My Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38). 

“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14). 

“Still, many in the crowd believed in Him. They said, When the Messiah comes, will He perform more signs than this man?” (John 7:31). 

Though Christ had ample reason to perform miracles, He did not perform His first miracle until He created wine from water at Cana of Galilee (John 2). This indicated His divine authority and messiahship. Miracles serve the purpose of arresting our attention to gain God the opportunity of hearing His Word and establishing or reestablishing His relationship to us. 

May we seek Him for more than His miracles!

“23 Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person” (John 2:23-25). 

Secret to Obedience

Ken

Inspired to Obey 

Ezekiel 36:27

“And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27 KJV). 

Gift of the Holy Spirit 

Acts 2:38 

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38 KJV).  

Will and Do 

Philippians 2:13 

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV). 

If we simply assume we obey because we choose to obey, then we are likely to assume our obedience is due to our good intentions. Yet, we have been plainly told our obedience is due to God inspiring us to obey.

Spirit Inspires Obedience

Ken

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:21 KJV). We normally think of the inspiration of Scripture as concerning God’s Infallible Book the Bible, which is correct, but, we do not think of ordinary Christians to be inspired by the Spirit of God to do something as straightforward as obedience. Truth be told, obedience has always been possible from the Beginning, but Jehovah planned for a day, when obedience would become more likely than prophets faithfully recording what we now know as Scripture. Ezekiel foretold of a NT time, when God’s Spirit would dwell within His people for the express purpose of inspiring them to obey Him. Notice, the Holy Spirit does not force obedience or we would no longer have a free will. He only inspires or encourages obedience, so that God would have in us the intimate relationship of obedience for which we were created. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). How do we know such an auspicious event ever occurred? Listen to Peter’s first sermon inaugurating the Church at Pentecost. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Confusion has made Miraculous Manifestations, Spiritual Gifts, or God’s Spirit As Proof of Ownership, as the purpose of God giving us His Spirit. But, simple obedience is the underlying purpose for giving us His Spirit. For, when His Spirit abides within us, “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). Once this reality sets into the consciousness of the Church, no longer will we be so incredulous that obedience — not sinfulness — should be the norm of the Church. LORD, haste that day! Amen.

Occupy Till I Come

Ken

“Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13 KJV). Our Master has given His instructions to us. Like the NT parable, He expects us to exercise our abilities and circumstances for His Kingdom. No one but a wicked servant has the right to a retirement of doing nothing, or worse, to live a life of self-pleasing. Occupying for the LORD is to be filled with “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2Peter 1:3). Our Lord expects us to walk obediently, sensitive to His Spirit, but more importantly, as though we loved Him for the wonder filled works He has performed for us. “Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:15).

God’s Presence Secures Our Obedience (Psalm 119:8)

Ken

“I will keep Thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly” (Psalm 119:8 KJV). Spoken like someone who not only understood how important obedience was but how obedience worked, i.e., God’s presence secures our obedience. Even in the beginning, Adam and Eve walked with Yahweh, but did not possess the key gift only a Resurrected Jesus could give — the gift of an indwelling Holy Spirit. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). We NT disciples have misunderstood, neglected, and taken for granted a gift greater than Christ’s purchase of our salvation on the Cross, none other than Christ’s endowment of the indwelling presence of God’s Obedience Securing Spirit. Under the Old Covenant, God’s inward presence was not part of the revealed relationship of “obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people” (Jeremiah 7:23). Under the terms of our New Covenant, “I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). Paul understood a “more excellent way” (1Corinthians 12:31) than “spiritual gifts” (12:1), which was the way of loving obedience (1Corinthians 13). Peter again added his voice, “And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him” (Acts 5:32). Spirit inspired obedience from those whom the Spirit inspires to obedience. Father, You have given us the gift of Your Son to save us. Your Son has given His Spirit to sanctify us in loving obedience. May we understand, respond, and continue until Jesus soon returns for us. Amen and amen.

Obedience Is Intimacy With Yahweh (Psalm 119:6)

Ken

“Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments” (Psalm 119:6 KJV). The Psalmist previously requested that his “ways [Hebrew, derek, manner, habit] were directed to keep Thy statutes” (119:5). This is the very anticipation of the NT ministry of the Holy Spirit, i.e., “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). How shameful under the New Covenant we should not always say with the Psalmist, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments” (Psalm 119:6). Obedience is not simply compliance to an arbitrary set of rules, but our most intimate interaction with our Divine Spouse. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). May God’s Divine Spirit elevate our thinking about obeying His Words. In worship, we ascribe with our hearts and mouths recognition of who God is, and in obedience, we are given the opportunity to put into practice, what would only be in our heart. Just as angels lean in to see what happens in our earthly circumstances, we can do what they have not been appointed. We have been called to bring up a “godly seed” (Malachi 2:15). Father, may we have the grace to inherit the earth with a godly offspring that will praise Your name. May You be delighted in Your children. May You receive the reward of all Your works. Preserve us to Your glory and to the shame of the enemy. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we ask it.

Diligently Keeping Precepts (Psalm 119:4)

Ken

“Thou hast commanded us to keep Thy precepts diligently” (Psalm 119:4 KJV). How are we to keep Your precepts? Diligently. We are to treat the keeping of God’s precepts carefully, as if we were handling our own soul. “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently” (Deuteronomy 4:9). God uses careful language, when He wants our attention about how we should handle our relationship with Him. He invites us to receive deeply from Himself, but we must be aware. “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). The LORD is willing to show more of Himself to us, but it comes with greater responsibility. Prepare ourselves for exercise. LORD, You know best what we need. We ask for a greater revelation of Yourself and Your glory. And, we ask for the grace, faith, and diligence to receive it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Return Quickly, Lord Jesus

Ken

The godly can receive no better answer to all their prayers than the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus instructed us to continually pray, “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10 KJV), as well as, His last promise to us was, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20). We have much to do in building His Kingdom in the meantime, because we know how important accomplishing all things He commanded us — “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13) —  prepares for His soon return. Both our growth in grace, as well as the increase of those brought into His Kingdom, justifies our God’s purpose in seeking His soon return, for the “LORD hath made all things for Himself” (Proverbs 16:4), which is always the wisest, most glorifying motivation for doing anything. LORD, grant us the wisdom of knowing how to keep ourselves occupied for good and for You in this world, while keeping our hearts and eyes wide open for Your imminent coming. Even so, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.