God’s Blessing Always Follows Obedience – Blessing Before Obedience Is Enabling

He said, "Who are You, Lord?" —Acts 9:5  

“It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey. … Jesus will never insist that I obey, but if I don’t …. I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It makes no difference to God’s grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But “Woe is me” if I refuse the light (see John 3:19-21).” OSWALD CHAMBERS 

“Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”  Today obedience has a negative connotation.  If your dog does not listen to you, you send the dog to obedience school. If your children misbehave, you must correct them to change their behavior.  The thing is, unlike your dog, with respect to your children there must be a heart change.  I don’t want my children to fear me and that be the reason they do what I say.  I want them to trust me and know that I only have their best interest in mind. 

That is the way it is with us and God.  Obedience is born out of trust and trust is born out of faith. I often quote (Proverbs 3:5-6) “Trust in the Lord and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Or some translations say “make your path straight”.  In other words obey God and trust that He knows best.  And that is where the trouble begins.  It started in the Garden. Satan suggested that God wanted to deny Adam and Eve what was best.  You are faced with choices every day.  Opportunities to choose God or choose another way.  That is called temptation, by the way.  (read 1 Corinthians 10:13)  The Word says (James 4:17) “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.”  

Listen, blessing always follows obedience. Blessing before obedience is called enabling.  Faith and obedience come first.  In Psalm 51 David wrote “a broken and contrite heart is the sacrifice that God desires.” God doesn’t need our promises.  He doesn’t need our “stuff”.  He wants to have a relationship with us.  He wants the devotion of our hearts.  When Jesus asked Peter if Peter loved him, Jesus was asking Peter if he loved Jesus enough to lay his life down for Him and others.  It’s the same question that He asks of us.  So what do you say when He says .. “Do you love Me? Then do what I say” (Luke 6:46) CHARLEY