Obedience is one of those words and actions we like to think is just for children.  We want our children to be obedient, follow the rules and grow up safe.  We know that obedience goes hand in hand with respect.  Do you ever think of obedience as applying to you?  God’s Word has a lot to say about obedience in our Christian life.

In the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, the priest Samuel was talking to King Saul and told him, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22.  He was telling King Saul that God loved and desired his obedience over all his religious works and deeds.    Jesus told his disciples in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”  and in 14:23 “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.” Obedience is an expression of love and respect and God desires us to be obedient.

 

The Bible also tells us that obedience brings blessings into our lives.  Jesus said in Luke 11:28 “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”   Obedience will also result in our remaining in God’s love and having joy.  John 15:10-11 “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”  Hebrews 5:8-9 adds that we learn from obedience and through Christ’s obedience on the cross we gained eternal life through faith in Him.  Christ is our perfect example of obedience and a life lived with devotion and love to God.  We are given several promises about living in obedience that are encouraging.  1 John 3:24 “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.  And this is how we know that he lives in us:  We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”   The indwelling Holy Spirit we receive when we profess faith in Jesus-lives within us to testify to our love, life and obedience to Him.  1 John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his command are not burdensome for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”  How wonderful is that!  Loving God, obeying his Word brings us victory in Christ and is powerful enough to overcome the sin filled world we live in!

Obedience is key to living the Christian life with power and love.  I pray that as you mediate on your need to be obedient to Christ, He will reveal what you need to do today to please Him.

Striving to live in obedience to Christ.
Linda

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Here are some pictures of the beaches and cemetery at Normandy.  This was place of great sacrifice during World War II.  Thank you to each Veteran on this Veteran’s Day for your service and the sacrifice of all those who have died to preserve our freedoms.  I am most grateful.

In John 15:13 Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”. (NIV)  These brave men and women paid the ultimate price and they did not even know me.  I am humbled by their patriotism and sacrifice on my behalf.

Gratefully,

Linda

When I think of the word friendliness, I think of cheerful actions and someone who outwardly welcomes others.  The dictionary defines friendliness as having the characteristic of a friend.  A friend is one who knows you, is fond of you, stands with you on the same side of a struggle, supports, helps and is considered reliable.   Scripture gives us several examples that align with this definition of being a friend.

One example that comes to mind is the friendship between David and Jonathan.  David was the future king of Israel, anointed by Samuel the prophet and pursued by the current king, Saul.  Jonathan was Saul’s son and David’s friend.  They protected each other and knew God had a specific plan for each of them.  In spite of all the turmoil surrounding Saul’s pursuit of David and trying to kill him, Jonathan remained David’s faithful friend.  Their story is recorded in 1 and 2nd Samuel.

Scripture also speaks of friendship with God.  Abraham was described as a friend of God in James 2:23.  “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.”   Jesus named us as friends, too.  John 15:13-15,17 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you…. This is my command: Love each other.”    In addition, Proverbs 17:17 gives us when and how long we are to be friends.  “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

What am I to take away from these examples of friendliness?  God wants to call us His friends but it requires that we obey Him and seek His righteousness.  We need to be about God’s business with our lives- loving, helping and supporting others.  We need to stand with each other in times of adversity-hand in hand as brothers.  This is certainly more than having a cheerful attitude.  I need to ask myself, am I being a friend and exhibiting friendliness towards my brothers and sisters in Christ?  Am I being friendly to others in His name?  Hebrews 13:1-2 reminds us “Keep on loving each other as brothers.  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels with knowing it.”

Look for those angels today as you serve Him striving to walk in friendship with Almighty God,

Linda

 

Moses told the Israelites to ‘remember’ the conditions that God rescued them from.  Deuteronomy 5:15  “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”   David states his resolve in Psalm 77:11-12 to remember what God did for his people in the past and what God did for him.  “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”    Jesus asked us to remember His sacrifice as we observe communion.  “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24   We are reminded to ‘remember’ who God is, what He has done for us and how Jesus’ work on the cross brings us to Him.  God knows we have short memories and easily forget what great things He has done in our lives- for us and through us!  Lastly, I want to mention what God has in mind for His memory. Hebrews 8:12 God says, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  This truth is stated throughout scripture that God forgives completely and will not see our sin when we stand before Him because of our faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross.   Praise God!!

What brought this word ‘remember’ to my mind today is that I am planning to attend my 50th High School reunion this weekend.  Memory is a funny thing.  We often remember only the good things that happened and gloss over them or see them through ‘rose colored glasses’ so to speak.  God encourages us to see things truthfully and look at the things we did, their consequences and then what He did for us in spite of our circumstances.  He wants us to view things through ‘His lens’ and know we are loved, saved and forgiven.   Our past does not have to define us but it helped shape us and  bring us to where we are today.

Looking forward to viewing the past and thanking God for all those things that helped bring me to where I am today in Him.

Linda     Found these cartoons and could not resist adding them.

One can only travel for so long, then you yearn for the familiarity of home.  I enjoyed my month in Greece and will be processing all that I learned and encountered for years to come, but it felt good to sleep in my own bed, enjoy TV in English and to cook my own food.  I was meditating this morning on our eternal home and how we will feel when we get there.  Psalm 84:10-12 gives us a glimpse of how very rich our eternal home will be.

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor ; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trust in you.”

If I enjoy coming back to my earthly home, how much more will I enjoy my heavenly home?  It will be a splendid and holy place where God is forever present.  He will provide the purity, light and protection in my heavenly home.  He will treat me with love and honor.  What a glorious place and time await me.  For now my job is to be in my earthly home and cling to His promises, walk in His ways and trust in Him.

Do you live with a sense of anticipation for your heavenly home?  I am anticipating its splendor but am content to live here walking with Him each day.  Knowing our heavenly home awaits us, gives us hope and courage for the challenges we face each day.  Thank you Lord for the assurance of such a wonderful place that awaits us in you. Amen

Home is where your heart is now and in the future.

Linda

I came upon this beautiful Greek Othodox church in my wanderings around Athens this week.  I’m missing my home church as we are celebrating 40 years of fellowship.  Jesus told us in   Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  My church looks nothing like this one yet it is just as beautiful. It is the heart and faith of those who worship our Lord and Savior that make a church. If you do not have a church home -go in search of one today. There you will find solice, support and genuine fellowship with other believers.  Happy 40th Anniversary to Crossroads!!

Linda

Psalm 121:1-8 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. This portion scripture came to mind the day we visited Meteora. What a powerful and amazing Gid we serve. He encourages us to look up and behold his help, majesty and power. Look and see… Don’t you agree?

Linda

After visiting the site of Lydia’s conversion, we went a short way to the ancient ruins of Phillipi. Impressive stone work from both Greek and Roman times. These ruins contained the jail site where the locals imprisoned Paul and Silas for casting out a demonic spirit from a slave girl that would fortune tell for her master and earn money. Angered by his sudden financial loss, the owner stirred up the crowds against them. During the night there was an earthquake freeing them from their chains. The jailer drew his sword to kill himself thinking the prisoners had escaped. Paul reassured him that they were still there. Then the jailer rushed in:

Acts 16 Acts 16:28-32 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 

Paul’s response to the jailer was so simple, yet so profound. Faith in Jesus is all that is required for salvation. That simple message is true today as well. Thank Jesus for your salvation. It is a gift of freedom. Allow him to break the chains that bind you today. 

Living without chains,

Linda

My long awaited trip to Greece has arrived! Yesterday we visited Neopolis or present day Kavala where Paul and Silas first set foot on Macedonian soil. Then on to Phillipi where he met Lydia, the first Christian convert in Greece. She was baptized in the river just outside of the village.      

Acts 16:13-15 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. 

My thoughts drifted to where I was when I first realized who Jesus was and my own need for a savior. I can only imagine the realization relief Lydia must have felt as she encountered the spirit of the living God in her heart as Paul spoke about Jesus. Start your day with a prayer of thanks for knowing Jesus. If you don’t know him, pray for him to make himself known to you today. 

Blessings from Greece,

Linda

As we ponder the significance of 9/11 today, what comes to your mind?  This is the 15th year anniversary of that tragic attack on the twin towers in NY and the Pentagon.  Many of those alive today have no memory of that horrific day and those terrifying events.  The same could be said for December 7th and the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Both bring extreme sadness at the unnecessary loss of innocent lives, the aftermath of the events and their impact on families, the nation and our way of life.  A great sense of invasion and insecurity looms in my mind.

As I looked back, just a year ago on 9/11 my new book, Promises for Dynamic Living arrived.  The arrival of a new book you’ve written is a momentous time for an author.  At the heart of this book is hope and security.  God’s Word provides us with an anchor for our souls in Christ and redemption though His work on the cross.   This morning in church, my pastor quoted 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.  That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”  What hope we have in Christ! He fulfilled all the promises in the Bible about himself and all questions about redemption are Yes in Him.  We do not need to fear for our future as it is guaranteed by Christ himself.

So what of 9/11 and those fears and insecurities?  Turn them over to Jesus and depend upon Him in all things.  We can cling to Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”    Nahum 1:7  “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in him.”  Isaiah 26:3-4 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”  John 14:27  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”    I pray one of these verses gives you added hope in Jesus today.

Living in a troubled world with HOPE,

Linda

A study in God’s Word that will bring you hope and assurance for living in a troubled world.  Available on Amazon or at Certa Publishing.