Friday, June 03, 2005

Our theme for this kick-off week is change through obedience.

I have noticed that many of us are willing to try doing the right thing. I can't tell you how many times I have given a counseling assignment, only to have the person return the following week to tell me, "Yeah, I tried that, it didn't work." My typical response is, "We are not called to try obedience, and we are called to obey. It is always right to do right."

The "I'll try it" attitude towards obedience is rooted in the false understanding that obedience is optional and based on whether the person gets what s/he wants or not. We want the blessings of obedience without obedience. We wonder why we don't see more change in our lives, or why our prayers seem to hit the ceiling, or why our Scripture reading seems dry. Are you holding out in any area of your life? Is there one area of your life that you can point to that is that besetting sin, the one that seems impossible to break free from? You can be free!! You can change!! You can live in victory!!

Here's how: choose obedience. Obedience is a choice. As you choose obedience, you are demonstrating your love for God in a tangible way, and as you choose it moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, it turns into weeks, months, years, and eventually a lifetime of loving
obedience.

John 14:21, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

Do you want to see Jesus manifested in your life? Choose obedience.

Your challenge for today is to read John 14 and 15.

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