We live in a society where many people want to play by their own rules, and yet still profess to be a Christian. “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” – Colossians 3:12-13. Today’s blog entry is titled “Obey God, Follow Him”.
Picture the following scenario…..There is an NBA team that has been struggling with their 3 point field goal percentage, and as a result they decide to make adjustments to their home court so that the 3 point line is moved in 3 feet closer to the basket (from which ever basket they are shooting from). And then there’s another team that plays a slower tempo style of play, so instead of having a 24 second shot clock, they adjust the shot clock to 40 seconds at their home games (and only when they have possession of the ball). I think it’s obvious to say that such things would never be tolerated by the NBA….lol. If something like this was to be done, the general public would be saying all kinds of things. The rules were made for a reason, and teams can’t just change them because they feel it would suit them better to do things a different way.
Likewise, God’s Word is very clear on the way that we should live our lives as Christians, and it’s important that we live our lives according to those standards (and not try to lower the standards to fit the way our flesh wants to live). It’s important to realize that we should be submitted to Christ. We should desire to do His will for our lives. Do we make mistakes at times? Yes…But we should never try to change the truth of God’s Word in order to rid ourselves of guilt (or for any other reason). It’s like the scenario mentioned above, if a team is struggling with their 3 point shooting, they should work harder to improve, instead trying to change the rules to make it easier for them.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” – Colossians 3:16
When we meditate on the Word of God (and spend time in prayer), it helps us with our decision making process. There may be times in your life where you have choices to make such as choosing between two different jobs, choosing between two different cities to relocate to, etc. It’s important that we seek and obey God in these types of situations as well. If you want to move to “City A”, but God is steering you towards “City B”, it’s important to follow Him. When God shows us warning signs about a situation, we should not ignore them. If God closes a door, we shouldn’t try to keep reopening it.
It’s important that we our led by God, instead of our emotions. Following our emotions can lead to a lot of problems. So as we continue to grow in our walk with Jesus Christ, let us obey His Word, and seek Him for wisdom when we are making decisions.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
Picture the following scenario…..There is an NBA team that has been struggling with their 3 point field goal percentage, and as a result they decide to make adjustments to their home court so that the 3 point line is moved in 3 feet closer to the basket (from which ever basket they are shooting from). And then there’s another team that plays a slower tempo style of play, so instead of having a 24 second shot clock, they adjust the shot clock to 40 seconds at their home games (and only when they have possession of the ball). I think it’s obvious to say that such things would never be tolerated by the NBA….lol. If something like this was to be done, the general public would be saying all kinds of things. The rules were made for a reason, and teams can’t just change them because they feel it would suit them better to do things a different way.
Likewise, God’s Word is very clear on the way that we should live our lives as Christians, and it’s important that we live our lives according to those standards (and not try to lower the standards to fit the way our flesh wants to live). It’s important to realize that we should be submitted to Christ. We should desire to do His will for our lives. Do we make mistakes at times? Yes…But we should never try to change the truth of God’s Word in order to rid ourselves of guilt (or for any other reason). It’s like the scenario mentioned above, if a team is struggling with their 3 point shooting, they should work harder to improve, instead trying to change the rules to make it easier for them.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” – Colossians 3:16
When we meditate on the Word of God (and spend time in prayer), it helps us with our decision making process. There may be times in your life where you have choices to make such as choosing between two different jobs, choosing between two different cities to relocate to, etc. It’s important that we seek and obey God in these types of situations as well. If you want to move to “City A”, but God is steering you towards “City B”, it’s important to follow Him. When God shows us warning signs about a situation, we should not ignore them. If God closes a door, we shouldn’t try to keep reopening it.
It’s important that we our led by God, instead of our emotions. Following our emotions can lead to a lot of problems. So as we continue to grow in our walk with Jesus Christ, let us obey His Word, and seek Him for wisdom when we are making decisions.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9