Tag: Obedience to God

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GOD'S STORY

GOD’S STORY pt 28 What is Blessing?

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.“ (Genesis 2:3)

GOD blessed the 7th day. 

What is blessing? 

GOD made a covenant with Abraham. A covenant is more than a commitment or promise. It runs so deep — like a marriage GOD makes an everlasting promise to Abraham…

Genesis 17:4-7 reads, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” Read further into the chapter to grasp the entire promise GOD made with Abraham. 

Everything that Abraham might do would be blessed. His family from generation to generation would be blessed. Those who would bless him and his people the Hebrews would also be blessed. 

A blessing is an undeserved favour, a gift, a talent, a free pass to rest and comfort and peace.

GOD blessed the 7th day, making it holy and a blessing to man.

Preparing the Bride for GOD’s Story

How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? One aspect is to learn GOD’S STORY. He created us in His image…. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked. And we learn His perspective. 

What is the Lord’s Day

As far as we Gentiles understand, Jesus rose on “Sunday” and so, although Sabbath was declared by the LORD in the Wilderness as the 7th day ie “Saturday” (based on scripture and the Hebrew equivalent), the established Church moved the official Christian day of worship from Saturday to Sunday during the 4th Century.

I can’t help wondering, when we moved the day of worship to the 1st day of the week, what is the blessing of the Sabbath day that we are missing?

From GOD’s perspective, He called one day to be holy, a day of rest, a Sabbath. That was the 7th Day and no one disputes that is what we call “Saturday” The Jews keep their Sabbath as Saturday even to this day. But the established Christian church, by-and-large throughout the world, is not keeping that 7th Day holy. 

Are you aware the day of worship was moved from Saturday to Sunday? We can worship seven days a week, and that is grand! But it might be rare amongst Christians to be aware that The Lord’s Day is not the same day as the Sabbath day. When we worship at church on a Sunday that is not GOD’s Sabbath day.

Chosen because it was the day of Jesus’ resurrection, were we called to change our day of worship and rest? 

GOD’s Sabbath Day

What does GOD make clear to those who hold onto the Sabbath — His chosen Sabbath — and make it a holy day?

In Deuteronomy 7:12-16 GOD says, 

“Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you…..”

And Deuteronomy 11:9, 14 reads,

“… and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’” & “… then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.”

Deuteronomy 28:1 is the culmination:

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.”

GOD offers abundance, prosperity, blessing, victory. peace.

Finally, we know GOD asks for obedience over sacrifice. All the sacrifices in the world are nothing to Him compared to an act of obedience. As it says in 1 Samuel 15:22, 

“So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

And so the challenge

I challenge us all to make Saturday our personal Sabbath to the LORD. 

When we obey we’ll learn His perspective and gain His wisdom. We don’t do it for the blessing but out of obedience. And we allow Him to respond as He will.

Categories
Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

Stillness with GOD

Doing v Being

Too often we are pulled here and there as to what to “do” but Jesus has taught us that we are to “be”.

The more we try to do, the less there is of us to simply be. Are we like Martha, who strives to organise and prepare and do all that is needed? Or like Mary, who took the better place as Jesus’ feet.

Yes, as James has written, “Faith without works is dead”; but yet we must be still, because running around in our own strength is pretty much fruitless.

Why stillness

Out of the stillness we discover ourselves and in the discovery, our being will allow our doing to flow.

Allow GOD to wrap you in His arms, hold you in His grasp, keep you under His protection. Then, eventually, our being will flow toward our doing and we shall express our Call.

More of GOD means less of me. But that takes time: to empty and to only then to fill; to be and only then to do; to rest and only then to move.

More of GOD means we rest, then discover, and finally we express our rebirth through word and action.

I believe much of our destiny is wrapped in how we deal with stillness and our developing of a habit to listen with the LORD. Recently I was encouraging someone to listen to their heart before making a decision. I suggested they not pay attention to what they wanted (their will), nor how they felt (their emotions), nor what they thought they might do (their mind), but rather to be still, to listen and to seek to hear their heart…. it is here that we can find GOD’s voice.

GOD’s rest

“…. They shall (not) enter my rest” GOD has said (Hebrews 4:3). There are so many levels and much to dig to understand that phrase, but at a simple level, what does the LORD mean? What is His rest, and how do we enter into it?

GOD’s rest is…

Obedience, surrender, communion, peace with the LORD — these are aspects of GOD’s rest. There is much about the Sabbath entwined in this phrase, but that is for another time to discuss.

For now, simply let us extend our time and our

Doing v Being

Too often we are pulled here and there as to what to “do” but Jesus has taught us that we are to “be”.

The more we try to do, the less there is of us to simply be. Are we like Martha, who strives to organise and prepare and do all that is needed? Or like Mary, who took the better place as Jesus’ feet.

Yes, as James has written, “Faith without works is dead”; but yet we must be still, because running around in our own strength is pretty much fruitless.

Why stillness

Out of the stillness we discover ourselves and in the discovery, our being will allow our doing to flow.

Allow GOD to wrap you in His arms, hold you in His grasp, keep you under His protection. Then, eventually, our being will flow toward our doing and we shall express our Call.

More of GOD means less of me. But that takes time: to empty and to only then to fill; to be and only then to do; to rest and only then to move.

More of GOD means we rest, then discover, and finally we express our rebirth through word and action.

I believe much of our destiny is wrapped in how we deal with stillness and our developing of a habit to listen with the LORD. Recently I was encouraging someone to listen to their heart before making a decision. I suggested they not pay attention to what they wanted (their will), nor how they felt (their emotions), nor what they thought they might do (their mind), but rather to be still, to listen and to seek to hear their heart…. it is here that we can find GOD’s voice.

GOD’s rest

“…. They shall (not) enter my rest” GOD has said (Hebrews 4:3). There are so many levels and much to dig to understand that phrase, but at a simple level, what does the LORD mean? What is His rest, and how do we enter into it?

GOD’s rest is…

Obedience, surrender, communion, peace with the LORD — these are aspects of GOD’s rest. There is much about the Sabbath entwined in this phrase, but that is for another time to discuss.

For now, simply let us extend our time and our stillness with GOD, to ponder any scripture, to develop our submission, our following of Him: our rest in Him. Then, from that place of rest in GOD we can fulfil His will, our destiny in this world.

with GOD, to ponder any scripture, to develop our submission, our following of Him: our rest in Him. Then, from that place of rest in GOD we can fulfil His will, our destiny in this world.

Categories
Reflections and Poetry

It’s tough to obey

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” (2 Cor 13:5)

It’s difficult to obey

At least it is for me. Oh, I want to… but it’s difficult to live the surrendered life, every moment of every day. But it’s what I’m called to do.

Even Paul struggled. ‘I don’t do what I want to do…’

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” (Romans 7:15)

I think I used to use that scripture as an excuse. If Paul struggled then who am I to overcome? This helped me so that I wouldn’t get too down on myself. But to continue to use it would be an excuse, because I now know that he who is in me gives me the power to overcome, if I really want to.

Disobedience holds no charm for me anymore. And as I become better able to hear the spirit within me, I know the way to take. But sometimes I still cling on to my way… my way to organise my time, my way to organise my paperwork, my way to organise. And this is the root of the problem: my way is inefficient, my way is limited, my way is not the best way.

Do you struggle too?

I’m improving. It sometimes takes days now to rebel. And there is no joy or satisfaction in the result when I do. Instead, I want to sit at Jesus’ feet as Mary did… choosing the better way (Luke 10).

“Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus feet and heard His word…. “and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.””

But time is short; I realise I have limited lifespan and limited time before the world implodes.

I also realise I’m not as smart as I need to be, in order to accomplish what I need to accomplish. I’ve asked for 10 points more to be added to my IQ. But if I don’t surrender, it isn’t going to happen.

So common sense tells me to let the Master lead. At least he’s a just and good master. Perhaps I don’t need any more brain cells to recognise the only sensible way forward is to surrender and obey.

My prayer

I pray first for greater self-discipline, to wait on Him and do as he leads… ‘no more, no less’… is my prayer.

“Heaven help me!” I cry, as the expression goes.

“Father, Master of the Universe, give me the self-discipline to see this through: to wait on you, to follow your lead, and to love. Amen.”