Obedience…Change your beliefs or change your name!
God has a lot to say in His word about obedience. Pick a topic. Homeschooling, birth control, modesty…it’s all in the bible either by implication or plainly stated. Why is it then that so many believers (I believe genuine, born again believers) give God so much lip service? I trust you Lord, yet I am going to control how many children I am going to have. Doesn’t the bible say that GOD is the one who closes and opens the womb? Why then, if we truly believe the Bible IS the word of God do we dictate when we open or close our womb? Why do we play God in some matters, the ones that require selflessness, the ones that require full confidence and trust in his provision. We don’t trust Him, to say we do and turn around no control our own lives is not to trust Him at all. I trust you Lord, but you will just give me way too many kids, how will I support them? Do you not know how bad the economy is? Surely you wrote the bible for another time period. In today’s world it takes two parents working in order to live, God you missed that when you wrote it.
The number one objection to allow God to be God in our lives concerning how many children He desires to give us is that “well, we are a fallen world, so nothing is perfect.” I have heard this time and time again. If you use that excuse may I ask you…since when living in a fallen world give us the excuse NOT to obey God? I mean, after all wasn’t the Bible written IN the fallen world? The bible wasn;t written in the garden of Eden folks. God didn’t underestimate the economy. It was written IN an imperfect world for a bunch of rejects and misfits (like me, like all of us), for the ones Jesus had to come. The bible is God’s BEST plan for our lives. How do our lives work best? If we stay close to the Lord daily, we depend on His strength, His provision and His guidance. If we obey what we are commanded, God will give us the life we were always meant to have. I think the problem is that we don’t truly, in our hearts believe that God DOES open and close the womb. After all we see all the abused children because God has opened and closed the womb of parents that should have never been parents to begin with. So in that aspect of our lives we don’t honestly believe that God is in control, we believe science is in control…everything but God. Why? Because after all if God were in control of child-bearing then A LOT of people who are having children wouldn’t be having them, right? Well, that’s why God states in His word that His ways are higher than ours. We simply can’t understand why, and He never asked us to. He simply asked us to obey Him. God makes the rain fall on both the just and the unjust. That is God’s grace upon humanity. We aren’t called to question why things happen, we are called to live by the Word as children of God. There is nowhere in scripture that specifically or by implication suggests that God is ok with His children using birth control to limit the blessings (as He calls them) God gives them. If I tell you I am going to bless you with one million dollars every year, would you object? Of course not. Why? Because we see it as a blessing! What if God says I am going to bless you with a new blessing, a precious little child every year for the next 10 years. What would you say? Hmmmm. Yeah. That’s how wrong our perspective of children is in this post-modern, westernized, feminist society we live. We have been brain washed and God is calling us out, out of the boat in order to experience the FULL life He had intended for us to have. You can fight it all you want dear friend, but you can’t fight it with biblical support because there is none. A born again believe will submit to the Lord and His word because we love Him.
Further reading on the subject:
The Lord commands us to train/raise our own children. This can be seen throughout the entire Bible both in specific and by implication. God gives us children to raise godly offspring. The responsibility to train up a child has been given to the parents of that child, not to the government, not to the church, not to anyone else. I trust you Lord, but I need to send my children to someone else to train/teach/raise them because I am not equipped to do so. They need much more than I can give them. Once again we have trouble obeying the Lord because we simply don’t believe He has ANY clue on what He has commanded us, after all we are uneducated and unable to give our children the “proper” education. That command MUST have been to schooled parents….like Mary the mother if Jesus, right? Ummm. Let’s think about that for a second. The Savior of the world, the KING of the Universe, the very one that created knowledge and possesses ALL wisdom was entrusted to Mary…Mary, a nobody from a little village in the middle of nowhere to train/raise the creator. Mary, uneducated, unschooled! WHY would the King entrust Mary with the Savior? After all did He not know she was unqualified? 
Mary, WAS qualified, more qualified than anyone else in history to raise the Savior. How? She LOVED the Lord. She was a woman who feared God and taught Jesus to love, honor and obey the Father. Even though Jesus never needed to be corrected. He still had to learn and there was no one more qualified to teach Him than someone who was walking with God. Someone who wanted NOTHING MORE than to honor the Father. She was chosen because her heart’s desire was to bring glory to God. YOU were chosen to raise godly offspring, your motive should be to bring glory to God. So what if your children aren’t the smartest in the world? Our priority should be to train them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord as we live and walk with them hand in hand everyday. Sharing the journey together. A child was never created to sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day. THAT is not the way God created a child to learn. We say we trust God but our priorities are backwards. We care more about math than we do about bible stories. We care more about good grades than good scripture memorization. We care more about raising a good “moral” child than to teach them to love Christ with reckless abandonment and out of that flows obedience, leading to a moral lifestyle. My goodness, do we have this all wrong!
Further reading on the subject:
To Train a child: Who’s responsibility is it anyway?
But…I’m not qualified to teach…
What the Bible says about training a child. The case against the Public School system.
Let’s see what God says about obedience. I pray that the Holy Spirit convicts you as you read to obey the Lord out of your love for Him, to give you the desire NOT to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. To go back to biblical, NT christianity.
Obedience…
Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Love in obedience
Romans 2:13 (NIV) For it is not those who hear the law that are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
Psalm 25:10 (NIV) All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of the covenant.
John 8:32 (TEB) “If you obey my teaching you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 15:10 (NIV) “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.”
Deuteronomy 11:26-27 (NIV) “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse–the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.”
Exodus 19:5 (NIV) “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of the nations you will be my treasured possession.”
Numbers 24:7 (NIV) “…Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land…” (Read context in Numbers 14.)
Hebrews 4:6 (NIV) It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience.
1 John 3:21-22 (NIV) Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
Matt 28:20 (TEB) “…Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
1 John 3:23 (NIV) And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commands us.
John 14:23-24 (NIV) Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he willobey my teaching… He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”
1 John 2:4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:
Obedience, Not Religious Game-Playing
Proverbs 21:3 (NIV) To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
1 Samuel 15:13-14 (NIV) When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is the lowing of cattle that I hear?” [See what God ordered in 1 Sam 15:2-3.]
Here, Saul discovers that man does not live by live mutton sandwiches, alone, “but by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NIV) ..”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. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”
Matthew Henry: “Obedience was the law of innocency, but sacrifice supposes sin come into the world and is but a feeble attempt to take away that which obedience would have prevented. It is much easier to bring a bullock or lamb to be burnt upon the altar than to bring every high thought into obedience to God and the will subject to his will.”
The Obedience of Christ
Psalm 40:6-8 (NAS) Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; my ears Thou hast opened; burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required. Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart.”
Isaiah 50:5-6 (NAS) “The Lord God has opened my ear; and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard.”
Hebrews 5:8 (RSV) Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered…
Hebrews 5:8 (NEB) Son though he was, he learned obedience in the school of suffering, and once perfected became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Philippians 2:8 (Phi) …Plainly seen as a human being, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, to the point of death, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal.
Galatians 1:4 (TEB) In order to set us free from this present evil age, Christ gave himself for our sins, in obedience to the will of our God and Father.
Lip Service Is No Service
Luke 6:46 (Phi) “And what is the point of calling me ‘Lord, Lord’, without doing what I tell you to do.”
Luke 6:46-49 (NEB) “Why do you keep calling me, “Lord, Lord”–and never do what I tell you?.. But, he who hears and does not act is like a man who built his house on the soil without foundations. As soon as the rivers burst upon it, the house collapsed and fell with a great crash.”
Luke 11:28 (NIV) “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
One More Thing…
Matthew 19:16-22 (NEB) …Now a man came up and asked him, “Master, what good must I do to obtain eternal life?” “Good?” said Jesus. “Why do you ask me about that. One alone is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments… If you wish to go the whole way, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and then you will have riches in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away with a heavy heart, for he was a man of great wealth.
How often do we seek the counsel of God only to receive a response which confronts us with the mandate to change and submit to the Lord. When we try to justify ourselves, and God’s will is made plain, frustrating our self-righteousness, do we turn away to avoid God’s voice? We say we love God… but do we resent it when he gives a clear directive?
Revelation 3:1-2 (NIV) ..”I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up!..”
Matthew 7:21 (Jer) “It is not those who say unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
1 John 5:3 (KJV) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Obedience Training
Romans 6:17 (NIV) But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
1 Peter 1:14 (Jer) Do not behave in the way you liked to before you learned the truth; make a habit of obedience.
1 Peter 1:22 (Phi) Now that you have, by obeying the truth, made your souls clean enough for a genuine love, see that you do love each other.
2 John 6 (NIV) And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in his love.
1 Corinthians 2:16 (TEB) …We, however, have the mind of Christ.
The Reward Of Disobedience
2 Thes 3:14 (NIV) If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him.
A.W. Tozer: “To escape the error of salvation by works we have fallen into the opposite error of salvation without obedience.”
Romans 2:8 (NEB) …for those who are governed by selfish ambition, who refuse obedience to the truth and take the wrong for their guide, there will be the fury of retribution.
Deuteronomy 30:17-18 (NIV) “If your heart turns away and you are not obedient… I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.”
In 1 Kings 13 a prophet of God had been given strict instructions not to eat or drink until returning to his home in Judah. Having been first deceived and then prophesied to by a “certain old prophet”, he was mauled and killed by a lion as his punishment for disobeying the “command of the Lord”. Clearly, he had known the will of God; but choosing to hearken to man resulted in his doom.
Breaking Out Into Obedience
Proverbs 19:16 (NIV) He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of [God's] ways will die.
Hebrews 3:15 (TEB) …”If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn…”
Hebrews 4:11 (Jer) We must therefore do everything we can to reach this place of rest, or some of you might copy this example of disobedience and be lost.
Romans 6:12 (Jer) That is why you must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your obedience to bodily passions.
2 Corinthians 10:5-6 (NIV) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
The Miracle Of Obedience
2 Corinthians 9:13 (NIV) Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ…
H.A. Ironside: “Where God has wrought the miracle of regeneration in the soul of a man, he [the man] finds within himself a love springing up for the will of God. He delights to walk in obedience to His Word, and thus he has corroborative evidence that he is a child of God.”
1 John 2:3 (NIV) We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
Oswald Chambers: “The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience.”
John 7:17 (NIV) “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”
Revelation 22:7 (TEB) “Listen!” says Jesus. “I am coming soon. Happy are those who obey the prophetic words in this book!”
1 Pet 1:2 (Phi) whom God the Father knew and chose long ago to be made holy by His Spirit, that they might obey Jesus Christ and be cleansed by his blood, may you know more and more of God’s grace and peace.
John 14:23 (NIV) Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
We can’t call ourselves christians, born again believers and continue to disobey God. We need to either change our beliefs or change our name!!! He knows you know right from wrong and refuse to obey out of fear, lack of trust or simply because your life is “just fine” the way it is so you follow Christ at a distance so He doesn’t “mess up” the plans you have already made for your life. After all, your plans are much better than His, right? I am afraid we have bought the lie Eve was told in the Garden. Hold is holding out and He doesn’t have our best interest in mind. He surely doesn’t if He wants us to have a bunch of kids we have to care for, feed, teach and clothe. If we want to wholeheartedly live for God, we must start by changing our perspective. We need to stop seeing the world through post-modern eye glasses and start seeing the world as God sees it.
Obedience is better than sacrifice!
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