Announcing/proclaiming to others where I stand was no easy task a number of years ago. Even though I was saved over 35 years ago, I was not in the habit of letting everyone know where I stood in reference to God. It was not until a few years ago when I chose the word “stand” as my word of the year that I became more assertive and outspoken with regard to my relationship with Christ.

“²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’” – Acts 5:29-32 (ESV)

In the verses above, Peter and the apostles were stating their case as to why it was they were preaching and teaching the gospel even after being jailed and freed by the Holy Spirit. They found themselves standing for Christ and proclaiming Him even though they were fairly certain of the outcome for doing so. Yet, it was through their faith and obedience they continued in their actions of announcing their relationship with God.

How about that, being so committed to Christ to do His will even in the face of certain punishment. Not only obeying God, but doing so overtly and making sure that everyone was aware as to where their loyalties lie, with Christ.

After some discussion the apostles were punished and sent out.

““³⁸So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; ³⁹but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, ⁴⁰and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. ⁴²And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” – Acts 5:38-42 (ESV)

My eyes and thoughts go to the last 2 verses above where the apostles know that they did right by sticking with God and even though they were told not to continue teaching and preaching, they continued to obey God by doing just that which man told them not to.

For me, I have to be bolder still in my proclamation of God in my life. I have to let it known that I am following and obeying God. Not that the laws and actions set out by man are wrong, but that my accountability is to God and not man. I am bound to obedience of my heavenly Father and less so to the laws of man.

When you are out in the world, who is it that you proclaim to obey? Are you concealing your obedience to God for the sake of saving face to man? Are you willing to proclaim your obedience to God even in the face of certain punishment?

“³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” – John 3:36 (ESV)

How is it that we avoid the wrath of God? Well, it is pretty simple when you look at Gods Word. We are to obey Him and accept the gift of salvation He provides.

I am a sinner and will not claim to be anything but. I am also a child of God and have claimed my gift of salvation. Now it is my duty to obey and remain in God.

John the Baptist made it very known to those that followed him that he was not Christ. He was only there to prepare the people for Jesus’ coming. Yet, the people still followed him, and in this passage (John 3:22-36) they were questioning why so many were leaving him to follow or go to Jesus. John was quick to remind them that Jesus is Christ and he, John, was there to simply continue exalting Him through his ministry.

John lays it on pretty thick as he wraps up the passage when telling the people that they must obey Jesus or face the wrath of God. Now knowing the past and the lives of their ancestors, the people understood what the wrath of God was. They may not have experienced it, but they knew and that was enough to really get their attention.

I am to obey and follow Jesus and His teachings. When I do, I will realize the glory bestowed upon me by Him. I will also avoid the wrath of God. I know what I have studied in Gods Word, and that is good enough for me to know that I do not want to experience the wrath of God. I will do what is necessary to avoid that wrath whenever possible.

What do you know about the wrath of God? Did you know that there is a way to avoid that wrath? Will you take it upon yourself to obey and avoid the wrath of God?

At the time of my writing this passage, and it has been for quite some time, there is a significant amount of division in the world. It seems as though everyone has a beef with someone else and everyone is “fighting” to not be excluded in something.

I was led to Ezekiel 37 this morning as I continue to study the word “obey” and what I found addresses this division. In the passage, verses 15-28, Ezekiel is laying out the reunification of the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. And as noted in the commentary found in my ESV Bible for verses 21-22, “This renewed national unity requires a secure national home…under the rule of one king”. The one king is David and the “national home” is the promised land.

Before I move on, I have to mention that I am not someone that believes in the rule of one man for a nation. I do however believe in my Lord as King of heaven and earth, and I stand by Him.

The unification as I see it here in this passage is related to everyone being together in their following of one set of criteria. That criteria or plan or guidance is set forth by God.

“²⁴My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.” – Ezekiel 37:24 (ESV)

When I am able to align myself with those of like mind and action, I find myself in a position of unification. And when that unity is based on the statutes of God, I am unstoppable and will certainly prosper like no other in this world. God will commune with me and I with Him in His greatness and the love He has for me.

“²⁷My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people ²⁸Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, with my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” – Ezekiel 37:27-28 (ESV)

It seems to me that the division we are experiencing in this world today is related to our not having a secure home under one king. Each of us are seeking our own glory as opposed to banding together for the glory found in one path. Businesses, athletic teams, non-profit organizations, churches, and school districts all great create missions, visions, and goals to be sure that everyone is doing what is best for the organization. Does it not make sense for the world to do the same?

The good thing is that we have that mission, vision, and goals already established for us as laid out in the word of God. And our king, well pretty obvious I am talking about God and our “secure national home”, well, is the kingdom of God. When we are all obeying the statutes laid out by God, we will carry out the work of God and thereby our unity naturally manifests.

Where are you looking for your guidance? Are you looking to find your “secure national home” in the kingdom of God? Are you looking to obey the statutes of God in your quest for unity?

In May of 2020 I was studying the word “sacrifice” and was led to the passage below in 1 Samuel. I wrote that it is better to obey than to repent. This morning I as I study the word “obey” I came to this passage and what I see is the amount of effort needed for obedience as opposed to repentance.

“²²And Samuel Said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. ²³For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.’” – 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV)

As I go through my days doing what I do, I am presented with choices to obey and do what God would have me do, or do what might be easy in the eyes of society. Yes, I have the choice in those cases. Each choice presents a result and those result either create more action.

When I have chosen to go with society I end up having to back track and explain my actions and ask for forgiveness and hope that at some point I will be able to move forward. And that is so deflating as I spend so much of my time trying to fix or undo what was done as opposed to just moving on.

I have found that when my choice is in line with God and I am obeying Him, the resulting action is positive in some way and I am able to simply move forward. I put the item in my past and the next task up is now the focus of my attention. Sure, I may have to revisit my choice at some point, however it is just to explain and as I have found it ends there most of the time. I am not required to defend my actions with a herculean effort, I simply explain and move on.

Samuel explains the same in the passage above. Yes, we will be repenting continuously as we progress in this world, we are sinners and that does not change. God wants for us to acknowledge our shortcomings and ask Him to continue covering them with His blood and grace.

Now, I think of the time and effort needed to recall and repent from all of my sins and transgressions that I could have avoided by simply obeying God. That effort would have been better served in thanking God for the blessings He provided and asking for His care and love bestowed on those in need. My prayers would be guided to thanksgiving and pleas for others as opposed to backtracking on all of the known ways I failed Him that day.

I know that I consciously and unconsciously sin each and every day. For each of those I am responsible and should be asking for repentance. How much shorter would my list of known sins be if I were synced with God and obeying His commandments in my life.

When you are presented with a choice, which direction do you tend to lean? Are you “okay” with choosing society over God and then spending an inordinate amount of time “fixing” your choice? How much less effort would be needed if you simply obeyed God?

There is a constant change of what we call leadership. Whether in our personal lives, religious lives, or work/career lives. I have to ask, how it is do I go about following those that are new as I did with those that come after?

“¹⁶And they answered Joshua, ‘All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. ¹⁷Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses! ¹⁸Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.’” – Joshua 1:16-18 (ESV)

Well the answer is pretty clear in these verses that I should obey the new as I did the one that came before. Joshua took over when Moses passed on. Chosen by God, he was handed the task of leading the people into the promised land. God provided him with all of the tools he needed and he only needed to follow God and use those tools as instructed with courage and strength.

“⁹Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

As he spoke with the leaders of the people, Joshua demonstrated the strength and courage that God expected of him and they followed.

Here is where I have been reminded. When the new are following the same guidelines that God laid out and were used by those that came before them, I am to follow them just the same. I should look for the influence of God and not that of man, and when there is a conflict between the two, the influence of God wins out. My duty is ultimately to God and no man is worthy of my obedience if he is outside the influence of God.

I have to be careful in that I am not taking my own path without the guidance of the Lord. When I am working for the Lord, He is my Leader and therefor all that I set to accomplish is with His guidance and the human before me is of little consequence. I must remember that when I am following the law of God, I am above the law of man.

Obeying the new is easily accomplished when those leaders are doing so in line with the law of God. I should be fully aware of the influence that God has on those new and approach them the same as I did those that came before.

When you look to the new what criteria are you looking for in them as you seek to follow? Are you dismissive of the new as you move forward, looking for failure in them before they even get started? Will you obey the new as you did those that came before?

God has placed in front of me positive and negative, and it is my decision as to which I choose.

“¹⁵See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” – Deuteronomy 30:15 (ESV)

I have been given all of the available options and God has left it up to me, the sinner to make a choice as to which I will seek. I can choose “life and good” or “death and evil”, positive or negative, but the choice is mine and mine alone.

“¹⁶If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.¹⁷But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.” – Deuteronomy 30:16-18 (ESV)

And there you have it, my choice yield that which I chose. When I choose to obey God, I am rewarded with blessings from God. When I choose not to obey, my life will surely be shortened and I will not have the opportunity for prosperity.

Over the past few years, I have chosen to live a word for the year and my word in 2019 was “Example”. The purpose of the word was to be the example of what right looks like in everything that I undertake. I have not done perfectly with being that example, however I will say that I do think about being the example each day and when I stray away from that I realize, repent, and turn back. I have a choice each day to be the example of Christ for those around me and when I choose to be that example I am choosing to obey God and do His will.

Being a child of God is not easy and I struggle with making the choice for “life and good”, especially when there are so many options for instant gratification in the world today. I must remember to choose God over the world and know that when I do, I will prosper beyond anything this world has to offer.

Are you aware that you have a choice each day between “life and good” and “death and evil”? What would it be like if you chose “life and good”? Will you choose to obey God in the interest of being the example of Him in the world that largely does not?

I spend time each day looking into how I can be better. I study here in the mornings and pray that God will provide continued guidance for me. But, is there more I can do? Is there other actions that I should be taking to reach the goal that God has for me?

“¹And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, ²and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, ³then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.” – Deuteronomy 30:1-3 (ESV)

Based on these verses, I am to keep taking the actions I am and remember to obey the voice of God. I am doing the study, and seeking the guidance of the LORD my God and therefor I am doing right. But, am I obeying His commands at all times? I like to think I am and as such believe that I am getting what He has in store for me.

This morning I am taking a hard look at myself and my obedience. I am considering I may be doing the actions, but am I truly obeying. Am I taking the action that God has for me, or am I only seeking what He has in store and avoiding the doing? And I fear that may be exactly what I am doing.

I have been searching for what is next and where I have been obedient to some things, like the rising to the challenge of daily bible study and self growth and stepping out to plant a church. I also may have not been taking on all that God has in store for the fear of overloading and not feeling as though I would be able to fully devote to the tasks assigned.

“¹⁰when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁹The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,” – Deuteronomy 30:10 & 9 (ESV)

Here is where I may be missing. I may not be putting in all my heart and all my soul. I may be doing some of the work of my God, but am I fully prospering as I should? I will only do so by giving all of me all of the time. I am called to obey. Not some of the time, not when it suits me, not with the things that I enjoy and want to do. I am to obey all of the time, when it suits God, and with all things for Him. Through that obedience, God restores me to that place with Him that I long for, a relationship with Him and the prospects of reaching communion with Him in heaven.

When you approach obedience to God, are you fully committed to all that He assigns to you? Are you looking for every, and I mean every, opportunity to do His will? Are you aware that your restoration comes from your obedience to the commandments of the LORD your God?

I was led to the below passage in Deuteronomy this morning as I continue to study the work “obey”. Before I present the passage, I want to disclaim that one has to look deeper at the verse and work to understand as opposed to picking out certain pieces that “justify” the actions taken.

“¹⁸If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, ¹⁹then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, ²⁰and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ ²¹Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.” – Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (ESV)

This passage seems a bit extreme when we are dealing with our own children, but the “punishment” for not obeying is worth noting.

As a parent, I have the responsibility to teach the children that God has placed in my care. I am to guide them to Christ and present salvation to them. I am to be the example they look to as they grow in this world. I am also there to teach discipline and carry out discipline when they are disobedient. I do however have to be careful as to the reasoning behind the punishments handed out to be sure that they are in line with the action driving me to discipline.

In the above passage the “punishment” is not for the son/child getting into trouble in town and having to deal with the authorities. This disobedience is in direct conflict with the fifth commandment as laid out by God to honor your father and your mother. By not obeying your father and mother, you are separating yourself from the teachings they have been charged by God to bring to you. As such the example you are setting is not one in line with God and therefor are not fit to be the child of your parents and the discipline that follows is/must be drastic.

As I read this passage and those that go along with it, including the commentaries, I was challenged to understand as I mentioned in the opening paragraph. I could not see how one could have their child stoned just for not obeying, until I read the commentary indicating the fifth commandment. Oh how eye opening it was to see that it was not about the disobedience, but about the relationship and discipline had with my father and mother.

I want to be clear, I am not a proponent of this type of punishment. The discipline is not about physically putting to death the son/child, it is about holding them to the standard set by God through me as the one placed here to guide them through their growth in the image of God. I am here to provide the example of what right looks like in the eyes of God and teach the discipline needed to work for Him each day.

When you are teaching your children, where are you drawing the lessons? Are you being the example of Christ for them to emulate? Will you punish them for the act of dishonor through disobedience?

“⁴You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.” – Deuteronomy 13:4 (ESV)

This verse is very pointed in who we shall only serve. I do not see any room for movement to serving any others. I am here to serve God and God alone.

Yes, I have a duty to be a servant and that means I should be looking out for those around me and serve them. I will say that being a servant for others is not the same thing as serving them. I am a vessel of Christ and have a duty to be His hands here in this world. My ultimate service is to Him and the commandments He has for me. I am bound to Him by grace and the salvation He provided for me.

There will be plenty of those around me that will seek to drive a wedge between God and me. I have to be careful as I go out into this world daily. Those that I know will be those that I am most susceptible to following. Those could be prophets, dreamers of dreams, brothers, sons, daughters, wives, friends, neighbors, or even cities. It is up to me to be aware of first doing the will of God and obeying the commandments he gives me. As I am able to follow Him I am able to see those that are working to deceive me and therefor will be able to avoid them and even bring the gospel to them in obedience of God.

“¹⁸if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God. ¹⁷Noe of the devoted things shall stick to you hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers,” – Deuteronomy 13:18 & 17 (ESV)

I will be tempted by those around me to follow them, obey them, and go with the latest fad or fancy new thing. I have to remember that I am to serve and obey only one, my LORD and God. All others will take me away from Him and therefor away from what is right.

What new fad or thing has taken your eye off of God and His commandments? Are you aware that those around you may be the ones leading you astray? Will you focus your attention on the commandments of the LORD your God: ONLY?

“²⁸Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.” – Deuteronomy 12:28 (ESV)

I am of this world and now, thanks to the salvation I have accepted as given by God, I have a new home waiting for me in heaven. God offered, and I accepted, salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and therefore I am to inherit my place in heaven.

Now that I have accepted I have a responsibility to bring that same salvation to my family as I obey the commandments of God. As noted in verse 28 above, I am to obey the commandments that they may go forward with my children. The only way that will happen is that I must be passing along to them the way that is provided to me by God. This way they will know which way is the right way.

I know that each of them have their own path to take as given to them by God. I do not expect them to take the same path as I have or will take. I do expect that they will see me as an example of obedience to the commandments of God in my life, and as they see that example, they will seek to obey the commandments given them by God as well.

As I am able to obey and demonstrate to my boys what it looks like to obey, I trust that they will follow suit and obey as well. I cannot save them from the destruction that comes from not following Christ, I can only show them the way and pray that they will find the guidance from God so that they will be able to forge the path that He has for them and their children that are come come.

My boys know of my morning study and this is just one example of what obedience to God looks like. Each of them have the ability and responsibility at Christians to follow and obey the commandments of God. I will continue to pray that they will and pass them on to the next generation in our lineage.

What are you passing on to your family? Are you demonstrating to them the example of obedience to God? Will you pass on obedience to the commandments of the LORD and pray that obedience continues for generations to come?