Friday, August 3, 2012

Obedience Isn't Verbal...


And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Luke 6:46

The saddest thing about the return of Christ to this earth is the number of people who believe that they can get over on Him… There are so many people we encounter on a daily basis who fit this scripture; they call on the Lord verbally, but don’t have the faith and belief in Him to allow His will to be done… So many of us display our true lack of faith when a storm arises or adversity hits us, we as children of the most high have read scriptures upon scriptures that tell us about trusting in the Lord and the question that is posed today, do we really believe what we have read… The bible never says that this road will be easy, it never declares that your journey would be smooth; it does however say that you must endure temptations and suffer of many things… I am quite sure that we all have heard people quote or even at times have quoted the familiar passage from the 3rd chapter of Proverbs which says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This passage often times is spoken when one is declaring that while enduring any and all situations you must stay within the will of God knowing and believing that He will direct you and lead you… So many speak these scriptures, but yet they do not abide in them; this same principle applies with today’s focus verse; how can you serve or call on a Lord which you don’t obey and adhere too…? This devotional today deals with the faith you have in Christ and how much you truly love the Lord… More importantly, it speaks to the actions that you must take so that the things you declare verbally are displayed visibly to others… Don’t forget that the Lord looks at the heart of man and is not fooled by the fabulous jargon which comes from your lips… You are called to action as a Christian; speaking words are meaningless without the Love of God dwelling in them…  Today, remember that it isn’t about what you say to others, it’s about how you show it… Your actions must align with your words in order for you to know that this statement proclaimed by Jesus Himself is not referring to you… Ask yourself today, are you speaking mere words or is everything that comes out of your mouth backed by actions and deeds… Remember in the gospel of Mathew, chapter 15 and verse 8 that Jesus declares, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Jesus knows your every breath, He knows what you do behind closed doors and what you proclaim in front of people; Jesus desires for all to be saved, but He really is waiting for you to realize that the things you do are not of Him and therefore will not be accepted… This message was going forth to the same people who filled the synagogues religiously, this message was being proclaimed to the same individuals that were praising and worshipping in the streets… Today, Jesus posses a question that I think we all must answer… Why do we call Him Lord and don’t do what He says…? A Lord is a ruler, master or leader… So if we are calling Jesus Lord why don’t we follow His lead…? If I am your leader than you adhere to what I tell you and follow me, today let us look at our lives and examine whether Jesus is Lord or if we have placed other things over us… Are you following the Lord or are you trying to fit in to the ways of this world… Are you content with the will of God or are you trying to figure things out on your own…? Do you walk by faith or are you focused on what you can see, feel and control…

These are the questions that help us figure our if we are honoring the Lord with mere words instead of our actions… For some of us it has become tradition to go to church Sunday morning, worship God and then conduct busy as usual throughout the week; however, today we are called to grow and mature under the leadership of Christ… It doesn’t matter how much you attend church if you are not growing in Christ; likewise, it doesn’t matter how much you claim to be a disciple of Jesus if you are not walking accordingly… So many people are perishing everyday because they have spoken the right things but have not actually done the right things… In this passage Jesus ask a question that is based on prior knowledge… At this point in Jesus life, He has already been tempted by the Devil; He has already cast out demons, healed a man of leprosy, healed a paralytic and begun preaching and teaching in the synagogues… Some of the disciples have been called and now He asks the question as to why we call Him Lord, but don’t do what He asks… Just like the evidence we have just seen, Jesus has performed many miracles in our lives, from healing to deliverance I think we all have a testimony to the Grace He bestows and the Mercy He extends; understanding the ways that He has made and the doors that He ahs opened should prompt one to follow Him and trust Him; however, daily we find the opposite happening… James in his book equates the analogy of looking into a mirror and immediately forgetting what you have seen once you leave its presences… A mirror helps you to see your flaws, fix flaws and show’s you where you are lacking in appearance… If you go to the mirror and see the areas of concern with your appearance and don’t fix them what good is it? Likewise with Jesus, He has shown you the flaws, paid your penalty of sin and opened the door for you Salvation, but what good is it if we don’t totally commit our lives to the Lord and walk under His guidance… My father taught me when I was a little boy that in life you will always learn; the question is will you lean the hard way or the easy way… Jesus desires to give you life and give it to you more abundantly… He desires to order your steps and provide for you in all that you do and go through… When we don’t do the will of God we find ourselves in places of confusion, misfortune or chaos… Think about your life and how many times you have made decisions without seeking the will of God and the question I ask you today is how many of the choices worked in your favor? To call someone Lord means they have authority, rule and power over you… The question that Jesus asks is if I am the authority in your life, if I am the center of your life and if you have given me the power in your life, than why aren’t you following my orders… Too often we have given God the authority over our lives verbally, but materialistic things or people have become our true Lord… Jesus goes on in the next verses to show how we know one who follows the will of God… The analogy He gives is someone who builds a house on a steady foundation and can withstand storms… The question that Jesus asked wasn’t to be answered by words but actions… Don’t tell me about the God you serve, show me when the storms of life hit that you are a tree planted by the rivers that shall not be moved…

BE BLESSED!!!

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