Obey Your Thirst

1Samuel 15:22 "Does the Lord delight in 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.

To say “No, Lord” is an oxymoron because the word “Lord” literally means one who rules over your life and you obey. To disobey his word or command is to say that he is not your Lord. Out of love of Jesus, reverence and gratitude for all that God has done, is doing and continues to do for us, we call Him Lord and serve Him, as we grow in grace. Don’t get me wrong, we have three enemies that want to bring us down … to get us to say “No, Lord”. They are the world, the flesh and the devil.

Judges 2:17 Yet they did not listen even to their leaders; for they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their ancestors had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord.

The Bible tells us that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are regenerated, born again, born from above, and given a new heart, a new nature with a bent towards a godly life. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes upon us. Our faith is in Christ to rule our life and we see life through a Christian world view ... through Christ, as Christ sees it. The world doesn’t change, but our prospective (the way that we look at things … our mind, will and emotion) changes. For example, instead of saying “Don’t lie or steal”, we say “Why would I lie or steal?” knowing that it is not the will of God, would let Him down, and bring pain or distress to someone. God’s Word is written on our hearts, so obedience has purpose and value. God changes our “want to”. The Lord’s teachings and commands are not to hinder or distress, but to help and produce fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) ...fruitful and joyful living in a right relationship with God and people.

Romans 6:12 Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? It brings freedom from self, recognizing that our greatest handicap is our own self. Matthew 26:41 says: “the flesh is weak." But the power and presence of Jesus can re-create a person until they are altogether new (Romans 12:2). Obedience to God brings freedom from other people. There are many whose lives are dominated by peer pressure and political correctness; the fear of what other people may think and say. The disciple is the person who has ceased to care what people say in their decision-making, because they think only of what God says in their decisions. Obedience to the Lord brings freedom from the bondage of sin. Our sins have so mastered us that, try as we will, we cannot break away from them. Obedience through discipleship breaks the chains, which bind us to them and enables us to be the persons we know we ought to be. Justification by grace through faith makes us free from the guilt of sin, by which we were bound over to the judgment of God for our sins. Instead of walking in the darkness of sin, we walk in the light of truth and righteousness, holiness and godliness, pure and priceless.

1John 1:5-9 God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness of sin, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.

We love because He first loved us (1John 4:19). We obey, because He is our King; our Lord.

1John 5:3-4 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. This is our thirst!

Love, joy and peace in Christ, Brian