I've been reading/doing a study book called 30 Life Principles by Charles F. Stanley. A friend of mine recommended it and WOW has it been a good one! It's been challenging me in so many ways. The first few lessons are about obedience to the Lord. So much of it has been about God's purpose for each of his children and how our plans don't always match up to his plan.
Just the other day I went over lesson 7, here's how it started... The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us. 1 Samuel 30:1-6 - in this passage David has faced some very difficult circumstances in life, his kingdom and family has been destroyed and taken from him. People were turning against him, placing the blame on him. In verse 6 it says "But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God".
There will always be new trials to endure, there will always be times that are difficult and cause us distress. But God is ALWAYS good! I've been really struggling this year with trials and it's a daily battle for me to keep focused on the Lord and the many blessings he's given me. It's been hard to be obedient to what he's asking me to do, actions to take in my job, ways I need to treat my co-workers and myself too. He's given me plenty of opportunities to be obedient to him, yet I still have chosen to do it my way.
A pastor at my church has been preaching a lot about obedience and just recently about doubting God. Our obedience to God is so necessary, complete and total obedience. If we choose to only obey God half way then it's still not obedience to him. As Christians we like to only do what we feel like or want to do... how many times have you only cleaned the bathroom partially or halfway cleaned up after yourself to leave the rest for someone else to clean. How about serving at church, you say to your pastor you're going to help in kids ministry, yet everytime they call for your help you say you're busy or out of town. Or helping a friend with a favor they asked, have you ever said "sure I'd love to help" but then never followed through with your promise. Wait... here's a good one, how about the Lord specifically asks you to go sit by that lonely person and invite them to your next BBQ. But you only partially obey by saying hello but you don't sit by them or invite them to your BBQ.
So why do we respond in disobedience so often? Well my answer to that is doubt and fear. Many times we doubt ourselves and we doubt that God is really going to bless us or he has the ability to use us in someone else's life. Fear is huge! For me I'm so afraid I'll say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, be rejected and it ends up being a displeasing thing to the Lord. Here's the reality, the Lord will never ask us to do anything that he doesn't give the strength to do (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). He has given us the Holy Spirit, our Helper (John 14:15-31) for us to call upon for strength, just like David did. He needed to remind himself of the mighty power of the God he served.
Sometimes we need to take a minute or 2 or 30 to remind us who we serve, the mighty, all powerful God over all things. So please don't forget to take time each day to read his word and give yourself a reminder!
