'All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until
they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through
philosophy or thinking. […] If you obey God in the first thing He shows you,
then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the
work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience
would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand
these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience.
Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God
immediately become yours. Yet God will
never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you
know already. […]’ CHAMBERS
Someone said that the only part of the Bible that
you believe is the part you obey. Henry
Blackaby, in Experiencing God, said that if yo have a problem with obedience,
you have a problem with loving God. As
Christians we don’t want to hear wither one of those. Even though most of us
don’t make reading the Word a habit … and most of us struggle with our sin life
… we don’t want to think that there is something that we, personally, can
do. But there is, it is a matter of our
will.
It is through obedience that we have a deeper
knowledge of God … it is through. God
never blesses us except when we are obedient.
To be obedient means that we are devoted to (love) God and place our
faith in Him. Living a life where we
wish we were better Christians is not God’s intent for our new life in
Christ. There is a reason why Jesus said
the greatest commandment is to love God with every fiber of our being. (Matt 22:37-38).
The Navigator ministry uses an example of the
obedient Christian life as a wheel with four spokes and a hub. Jesus is the hub or the center .. the four
spokes … two are vertical .. How you
relate to God through … meditation on the word (2 Timothy 3:16, Joshua 1:8)
and prayer (John 15:7, Philippians 4:6,7) … two are horizontal … How you relate to others … fellowship (Matthew
18:20, Hebrews 10:24, 25) and witnessing (Matthew 4:19, Romans 1:16). The rim is the obedient Christian’s
life. The result of doing those
things. Keeping Christ at the center …
and practicing the disciplines of our faith.
A friend of mine, Charlie Dokmo, discipled me when
I was in school at Fort Knox. As an Army Captain, Charlie
was connected to the Navigator Ministry.
We lost touch with each other over the years, but the spiritual truths that he shared
with me have stayed with me and I have used them many times,
just like now, to encourage other Christians.
“All I once held dear, built my life upon. All the world reveres and wars to own. All I once thought gain, I have counted loss.
Spent and worthless now, compared to this.
Knowing You, Jesus. Knowing You
.. there is no greater thing.
Now my heart's desire is to know You more, to be
found in You and known as Yours, to possess by faith what I could not earn, all
surpassing gift of righteousness.
Oh, to know the pow'r of Your risen life, and to
know You in Your suffering, to become like You in Your death, My Lord, so with
You to live and never die” Knowing You
Bondye
Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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