Reality Seven. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.
It is not enough to say that you believe what the Word says is true - you must obey it - walk in it. Dr. Blackaby said that if you have a problem obeying God, the root cause is that you are having a problem loving God. Jesus said .....
"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me." - Luke 14:23-24
Mary
"And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her." - Luke 1:38
To obey God means that you must “faith” God. What Gabriel said to Mary defied conventional wisdom and practice. For Mary to obey God was to surrender to His will and lay her own will, her cultural understanding and very life on the altar.
“I (Paul) appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2
Joseph
“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” – Matthew 1:24-25
Joseph knew it was a message from God and obeyed the message to the letter.
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet (Isaiah 7:14): “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” – Matthew 1:21-23
Mary not only conceived as a virgin but gave birth to Jesus as a virgin. In order for Isaiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled, Joseph could not consummate his marriage to Mary until after Jesus was born.
What God did with Mary and Joseph, inviting them to become part of the eternal story of redemption is not unlike what God wants to do though you and me. Oh, there will never be another Mary - there will never be another Jesus. But as His ambassadors, we are called to join God in what He is doing. We will each have our own Crisis of Belief - perhaps more than one over our lifetimes. To obey what God tells us will require that we make major adjustments in our lives. But mere acknowledgement is not enough. We will not experience God until we obey Him.
God does not want your sacrifice; He wants your undivided devotion. He wants you to love Him with your whole heart.
“For you [God] will not delight in sacrifice, or I [David] would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” – Psalm 51:16-17
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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