Obey But Obey Correctly

Bread From Heaven Christian Fellowship
Thoughts For The Day . Oct. 19 to 25, 2009
Obey But Obey Correctly
“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”
Read Genesis 22
A Song Of Confidence”
English:
I know that God will make a way for me; I know that God will make a way for me
If I live a holy life, shun the wrong and do the right, I that God will make a way for me
Filipino:
Alam kong may magagagawa ang Diyos, Alam kong may magagawa ang Diyos
Kung ako’y magtatapat, sa Kaniya’y maglilingkod, Alam kong may magagawa ang Diyos

God deals with us according to His kindness, grace and mercy. It is also true, however, that God is pleased with obedience that often He makes the step of obedience as the first key that opens the door to the impossible.

MONDAY: OBEDIENCE DOESN’T BEGIN AS AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE BUT A HEART THAT HEAR GOD WHEN HE CALLS.
Gen 22:1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
HERE I AM. Imagine if God called and Abraham responded with; WHO, ME? Abraham was so sensitive to God’s call that he hears Him immediately when He calls. That doesn’t describe many believers today. Great men of God started as quick and good listeners to God’s call. Samuel, another great man of God, was a sensitive and good listener to God’s call. 1 Sam 3:10 Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Thy servant is listening."

We can never hope to be really obedient unless and until we learn to be sensitive to God’s call. We need to hear Him right away as He calls. Obedience is carrying out God’s instruction. Sensitivity to God’s call is recognizing God’s voice. Obedience is not possible without sensitivity to God’s call. Sensitivity is the foundation to obedience. PRAYER: Father, I want to obey but I now understand that obedience is founded on the ability to recognize You when You speak and call. Grant me this sensitivity to Your voice. In the name of Jesus, amen.

TUESDAY: GOD’S CALL HAS A GENERAL CATEGORY AND A SPECIAL CATEGORY. GENERAL CALL IS FOR EVERYONE. SPECIAL CALL IS FOR ONE PERSON OR ONE FAMILY. THE CALL FOR YOU PERSONALLY IS A SPECIAL CALL.
Gen 22:1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
“GOD SAID TO HIM…” This was certainly a special call. It was addressed to one person: Abraham. If you read the pages of the Bible, you can easily distinguish between general and special call. You will find that many people received special calls. Let me name some of them: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, and others. Not everyone received a special call but many did receive these special calls. Abraham was certainly one of those.
Let me tell you a secret. A Call to the ministry is always a special call. Let me add another secret. Being a husband and being a wife is a special call. The problem is sometimes we push the matter and marry the person we have not been called to marry. Let me add another secret since we have started talking about secrets. Forgiving someone is a special call in the category of a special instruction. You are the hurting person so the call to forgive goes to you.
Have you heard a special call recently? What did you do? How did you respond? PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the gift of sensitivity to Your voice. I ask for another gift: Make me hear Your special call. In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.

WEDNESDAY: SENSITIVITY TO GOD’S CALL WILL MAKE YOU HEAR GOD’S SPECIAL CALL. THIS SPECIAL CALL REQUIRES PERSONAL AND not PROXY REPLY.
Gen 22:1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
God called Abraham; Abraham heard God and responded personally. When it was Isaac’s time, God spoke to him personally and did not require Abraham as the spokesman. Same is true with Jacob and the rest. And, just as Abraham responded personally, Isaac also responded personally; so with Jacob and the rest.
What are we saying? If God gives you a personal call, He expects you respond personally and not let a proxy reply for you. This is not proxy voting but a personal call. Sometimes, we ask others to pray for us as we enter a ministry or as we take a major step like entering a work or getting married. There is nothing wrong with that but everything becomes wrong with that if you yourself did not make a personal reply to God. Sensitivity to God’s call is never by proxy. Listening to God’ special call is never by proxy. Likewise, responding to God’s call is never by proxy. Prayer: Father, it is a privilege to get a personal call from You. Help me to make a personal response.

THURSDAY: OBEDIENCE IS NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S INSTRUCTION. THEREFORE, UNDERSTANDING COMES BEFORE OBEDIENCE.
Genesis 21:2 And He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
God called Abraham and He answered correctly. God gave him an instruction. Abraham carried out the instruction. We call this OBEDIENCE. Clearly, it would not have been possible for Abraham to have obeyed clearly if it were not for the fact that he understood clearly what God was saying to him. This was not an ordinary instruction. It required everything he had to obey. To give up his only son, the son who was the answer to his prayers and the fulfillment of his dream; this certainly was not easy. Such an instruction can only be obeyed accurately when it is understood correctly.
When we say that we want to obey God, it must come with a prior commitment: to understand what God is saying. In my years as a teacher of the Scriptures, I find this to be a disturbing truth: Many Christians do not give enough time and effort to understand the Word of God. Sometimes I get the feeling that what we often judge as disobedience among God’s people is not really disobedience first of all but a failure to understand the word of God. Yes you should obey but to really obey, you should first understand what God is saying. PRAYER: Father, I do want to obey. Please help me to have a mind and a heart that understand your word. I know I cannot obey without first understanding your Word.

FRIDAY: OBEDIENCE IS ALWAYS PRECISE AND PROMPT, OTHERWISE, IT IS NOT OBEDIENCE.
Genesis 21:3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
Abraham was given a hard task: give up your son and give him up to me as a burnt offering. No other command would be as hard and as heart-wrenching. But, Abraham obeyed and He obeyed with precision and promptness. Note what it says: Abraham rose in the morning (another way of saying- very early in the morning- not later). Then he saddled his donkey and took two of his young men. Then he split wood for the burnt offering. The precision of his obedience is evident. He was asked to carry out a task and he prepared everything that would be required for him to carry out the task.
His obedience was prompt, no doubt about it. Great men of God were known for this promptness. John Calvin himself had this personal motto: “Lord I offer myself to Thee promptly and sincerely.” Here is an example of an obedience that is not prompt and not precise. A man was told that he cannot marry a woman who is not a Christian. He decided to obey so no wedding took place. But he did not do anything to help the lady become a Christian. And, he would not part ways with her even when she said: I won’t ever agree to join your faith. He obeyed but it was neither prompt nor precise. In the end, it was not obedience. PRAYER: Father, I want to obey. I give my heart to you promptly and sincerely.

SATURDAY: OBEDIENCE IS PERSONAL, LITERAL AND SACRIFICIAL.
Gen 22:1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 And He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." ..4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship and return to you." 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.
Part of the way, Abraham was accompanied by two young men, presumably his servants. The men went with him as far as the spot where he saw Mount Moriah at a distance. He then dismissed the two men and he and Isaac proceeded to the place; just the two of them. Why? The reason was that Abraham understood that obedience must be personal, literal and sacrificial. What do we mean?
The instruction was for him to take his son to Mount Moriah. No mention of taking the servants to mount Moriah. Literal obedience means not to take the two servants to Moriah. They were necessary to accompany them part of the way. It was also a personal obedience because he was told to offer his son, not let the servants offer his son. It must have been hard just thinking about offering his son. But Abraham understood that obedience is always literal, personal and also sacrificial because it involved giving up his only son. But, sacrifice is an act that can only be done by the person himself. We cannot have a proxy or representative sacrifice. For sinners like us, and Abraham too, sacrifice is always personal. We can’t let others make the offering for us since we are able to do that ourselves. PRAYER: Father, I know obedience is personal, literal and sacrificial. Help me to honor you by obeying in a personal, literal and sacrificial manner.

SUNDAY: OBEDIENCE IS NOT ALWAYS EASY BUT WHEN COMPLIED WITH, GOD MAKES A WAY FOR US. AS THE SONG WOULD SAY: “I KNOW THAT GOD WILL MAKE A WAY FOR ME.”
Genesis 21:15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Abraham did what was very difficult to do. He offered his son although he was stopped at the last minute. God declared in his favor eternal blessings, continuing victory and a rare privilege of becoming an instrument to bless the whole world. There is no such thing as useless obedience. Obedience is always honored, recognized and ultimately rewarded.
Come to think of it, Abraham’s descendants did become the instruments of God’s blessings to the world. One example is John Calvin. Without probably knowing it, Calvin introduced biblical capitalism which effectively destroyed the power of feudalism as an oppressive system. I don’t know how you look at yourself. Here is something very clear. In God’s hand, your life will become a blessing to others. That is, actually, a great privilege. So, let us learn to obey correctly. PRAYER: Father, I do want to obey and I do want to become a blessing to others for your honor and for you glory. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.