God's Requirement

GOD’S REQUIREMENT

“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: We ought to obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5:29)

What would you consider to be the most important principle in the Christian life? Some would say love or faith. Others would say prayer. Still others would say giving or some other vital part of the Christian life.

We must ask ourselves what unlocks love or faith or prayer or giving or any of the other Christian principles. What is key to the function of any aspect of the Christian life? The answer is obedience to God. The Christian life moves forward in direct proportion to our obedience to the revealed truth of God’s word.

What does it mean to obey God? It means to obey His will. We are to obey God’s will generally. There are aspects of God’s will that are general in nature. This simply means that they apply to all Christians. There are other aspects of God’s will that are specific. This means that God has a specific plan for each individual Christian. Obedience is required in both areas of God’s will.

In the model prayer Jesus instructed us to pray, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven (Matthew 6:10). How do you think God’s will is done in heaven? I will tell you! It is done immediately and exactly! Many, many times I have heard Dr. Stephen Olford say in his lectures to preachers, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.”

We are to obey the will of God, but we are to also obey the word of God. What do you do with all those passages of Scripture that talk about loving your neighbor, forgiving your enemies, sacrificing your life, giving your time and resources, worshipping God, and living pure and holy lives. Remember, our Christian life moves forward in direct proportion to our obedience to the revealed truth of God’s word.

You hold the key to a successful, victorious Christian life. The key is obedience to the will of God and the word of God. Obedience is not always easy, but it is always right.
Obey God! -- Dr. Roger D. Willmore

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 13; 2 Kings 17-18; John 3:19-36

All the paths of the Lord are loving and faithful" Psalm 25:10 I have pondered this verse lately, and have found that it feeds my spirit. All does not mean "all - except the paths I am walking in now," or "nearly all - except this especially difficult and painful path." All must mean all. So, your path with its unexplained sorrow or turmoil, and mine with its sharp flints and briers - and both our paths, with their unexplained perplexity, their sheer mystery - they are His paths, on which he will show himself loving and faithful. Nothing else; nothing less.A my Carmichael