Obedience

My Friends

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John 15:9-17

9 I have loved you just as My Father has loved Me. Stay in My love. 10 If you obey My teaching, you will live in My love. In this way, I have obeyed My Father’s teaching and live in His love. 11 I have told you these things so My joy may be in you and your joy may be full.

12 “This is what I tell you to do: Love each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one can have greater love than to give his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I tell you. 15 I do not call you servants that I own anymore. A servant does not know what his owner is doing. I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, I have chosen you. I have set you apart for the work of bringing in fruit. Your fruit should last. And whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.

17 “This is what I tell you to do: Love each other.

IMG_7297Ever since I was a little girl I have been very selective when choosing my friends. I had many acquaintances as a child and knew lots of kids in our small town, but I only had a handful of people I considered true friends. Decades later, I have become even more choosy. Sure, I have hundreds of Facebook “friends,” Pinterest “friends,” Twitter & blog followers, but again, only a handful of those virtual voyeurs are my real life friends.

For nearly twenty years my most intimate friend has been my husband. I keep nothing hidden from him- we share every joy and every deep, dark secret of our souls with one another. But, he is imperfect and so am I. And, as you know, sinners inevitably hurt and disappoint one another- which we’ve done thousands of times throughout our marriage. Thankfully, though, our BEST friend has loved and forgiven us and enabled us to love and forgive one another so that our relationship could be rebuilt, redeemed and restored into oneness.

My BEST friend, however, is absolutely perfect! He willingly laid down His life for mine thousands of years ago. Because of His love for me, when by body dies, I am destined to spent eternity worshipping our Father in heaven. But until that day comes, I get to remain in His love EVERY moment of EVERY day on this earth!

How?

By obeying His commands.

How do I do that?

By reading His life story so that I can get to know Him.

By talking and listening to His voice – without ceasing.

By submitting my will to His in every single detail of my life.

Only then can I produce lasting fruit that will glorify our Father in Heaven. Only then can I love my friends, as He has commanded me to do. Only then can I be confident that Jesus will call me His friend.

“Friendship is rare on earth. It means identity in thought and heart and spirit. The whole discipline of life is to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His word, but do we know Him?”

–Oswald Chambers

I Will Follow You, BUT first…

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Luke 9:57-62

57 As they were going on their way, a man said to Jesus, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes. Birds of the sky have nests. The Son of Man has no place to put His head.” 59 He said to another, “Follow Me.” But the man said, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the people who are dead bury their own dead. You go and preach about the holy nation of God.” 61 And another one said, “Lord, I will follow You, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “Anyone who puts his hand on a plow and looks back at the things behind is of no use in the holy nation of God.”

As Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, two men volunteered to follow Him on His journey. Another man, whom Jesus invited, agreed to go, but quickly replied that he had family obligations to fulfill first. Was the man’s father already dead? Was he terminally ill & needed a caregiver? Was this man an only child or his parent’s only son? Did he feel pressured to provide, prepare and protect his mother and siblings upon his father’s death? I don’t know. Whatever the circumstances, his heart was torn between obeying Jesus by following Him immediately and going home, first.

Jesus’ rebuke may seem harsh. The truth, however, was that the man delayed obeying the Savior of the World, which revealed a heart of disobedience. Our Father requires a “yes” or “no” and immediate action. There are no “but’s” in the Kingdom of God.

The Lord also revealed that the man’s family was “spiritual dead,” so the task of burying the patriarch or caring for the family was not the sons responsibility in that moment. Instead, the man was called by God to preach. By becoming Jesus’ disciple, he would learn who the Father was by having an intimate relationship with the Son and he would be equipped to tell others about the Kingdom of God. But all of that was contingent on what the man chose to do immediately after the call. Would Jesus be first, or his family?

IMG_5702When the Lord said, “Come….” 16 years ago, I also responded, “I will follow you, but…..I want to do this, this and this, first.” In the years since, He’s continued to ask me the same question, and he’s continued to rebuke me when I have given the excuse of fulfilling my responsibilities, first. Now let me be perfectly clear: God has called me to be a wife, mom & homeschol teacher, BUT my roles should never, ever, ever take precedence over the One whom I am following. When Jesus says “come, follow me” it’s a command and a question in one: are we willing to leave home- leave those who are precious to us, and go with Him to the ends of the earth? If the answer is “yes….but” we will never be fully prepared to go make disciples because our hearts will be divided between our family and the One whom commands us to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, first.

Luke 14:25-27

25 Many people were traveling with Jesus. He said to them, 26 “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life! 27 Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.

A Shocking Thing!

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1 Samuel 3:11-14

11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. 13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God[a] and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

1 Samuel 2:12 tells us that Eli’s sons were “scoundrels.” During their ministry as priests, they not only stole sacrificial meat offerings made by their fellow Levites, they seduced women who were serving at the entrance of the Tabernacle!

As a parent, I have often felt condemned when our kids behave like “scoundrels.” But, the truth is, I am not guilty for their sin. Each of our children has their own will (some stronger than others!). All of them have the freedom to choose life or death; obedience to God by submitting to their parents or disobedience towards God by rebelling against them. Our three daughters and only son will stand alone before the Judge to give an account of their actions. I won’t be punished for their sin. I will, however, be held accountable for how I failed to discipline them when they disobeyed.

IMG_5056Let me state plainly: I am NOT a perfect parent. Our kids aren’t perfect either. But, I have learned a few important things on this parenthood journey…

1) I must worship God above all others.

Whenever I place my husband, our children, or any person/thing above Him, I am guilty of idolatry and I, and our family will suffer the consequences of my actions.

2) I must submit to my husband, as unto the Lord.

Studies continue to show that kids thrive in families that have a father and mother who honor their marriage covenant, ‘till death. When I love my husband, our children feel loved.

3) I must train our children.

When 1 & 2 are rightly ordered, my life is a living testimony to our children. I don’t have to lecture them relentlessly about what it means to love God and others. They will see it in my actions every day. And when they disobey, I don’t have to take it as a personal attack against who I am in Christ. Instead, I can love them enough to discipline them and assure them that forgiveness…and restoration is always available through repentance.

Eli “may have been an excellent priest, but he was a poor parent. His sons brought him grief and ruin. He lacked two important qualities need for effective parental discipline: firm resolve and corrective action. Eli responded to situations rather than solving them. But even his responses tended to be weak. God pointed out his sons’ error, but Eli did little to correct them.” -Life Application Study Bible

I would hate for the Lord to do a shocking thing in our family because I failed to heed his warnings to correct our children’s behavior. I’d much rather obey His commands to train our children in the way that they should go so that our family may reap His blessings for a thousand generations!

Proverbs 22:6

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Exodus 20:6

6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[a] who love me and obey my commands.

Senseless Horse

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Psalm 32:8-11

8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
 I will advise you and watch over you.

9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
 that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
 but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.

11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
 Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

Last weekend my husband and I took our horse-enthusiast daughter on a trail ride to celebrate her 14th birthday. It had been several years since I sat in a saddle, so I listened intently to the guides instructions and our daughters helpful hints in order to enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, however, the beautiful creature I was paired with was a stubborn, senseless horse.

Enjoyable ride?

Not so much.

It was evident from the moment we hit the trail that Cimeron knew where she was going and which path she preferred to walk. Despite numerous attempts to guide her, she refused by shaking her head and neighing at me whenever I pulled the reigns to the right or left. To make matters worse, Cimeron’s favored path through the forest was barely wide enough for her to pass through – let alone her rider! I did my best to maneuver around the trees by shifting in my saddle, moving the stirrups forward and backward and pushing myself away with one hand while holding the reigns with the other. But about 45 minutes into the trail ride, after narrowly avoiding an oak tree on my left I failed to shift my right leg quick enough before SMACK– my knee kissed a pine tree straight on.

IMG_5239Fifteen minutes later, we finally arrived back at the stables where I dismounted as quickly as possible. After the throbbing ceased and a magnificent shade of purple began to spread across my knee, I decided to snap a few pictures to remind myself of the day’s adventures. As I looked into Cimeron’s gorgeous blue eyes, I wondered…

How often has my life mirrored this senseless horse?

How often have I wanted to go my own way?

How often have I failed to ask God’s advice?

How often has He disciplined me with a bit and bridle?

How often has my heart been filled with sorrow for the bruises I’ve inflicted on others because of my wickedness?

Too often to count.

Yet, every day, the Lord gives me another opportunity to repent for any senselessness, saddle up and get back on the trail. Then, as I choose to trust and obey, God promises to surround me with His unfailing love as He watches over and guides me along the best path.

Saved & Holy

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Romans 10:9

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

2 Timothy 1:9

9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

The process of becoming saved seems rather quick and easy. In what feels like only a moment, the Holy Spirit moves in our hearts and we are compelled to confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that He was raised from the dead, saving us from eternal punishment.

The process of becoming holy, however, seems incredibly long and painful- sort of like our remodel project.

IMG_5028As my husband and I were inspecting the work done so far in our kitchen, half bath and mudroom we realized this is our first major home project together! Our prior homes were either previously owned or a spec house, so we purchased them as is. We had no choice of cabinets, flooring, appliances, hardware, etc. so we never got to experience the arduous task of creating a vision and budget, making construction decisions, solving problems with contractors, making more decisions, solving more problems, adjusting the budget…

Following Jesus often feels like a constant remodel project in becoming holy. In the beginning of my journey as a disciple I had a “vision” of what my life should look like. I also made a “budget,” “construction” decisions, solved problems with others…you get the idea. As a result, many of my life projects were a complete mess! Only when I learned to consult the Master Builder first, was I able to get His vision for my future, His promises to see the blueprints become a project, His budget and His answers to the problems that needed to be solved.

Each day, as He continues to show me areas of my soul that need to be repaired, remodeled or completely rebuilt I have the opportunity to submit my plans to His.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

When I choose to obey the Lord, I allow His Spirit to fill me with His holiness……which I’ve needed a LOT of these past few weeks while living in a construction zone with no sink, dishwasher or oven to feed our family- not to mention the constant noise, dirt and sawdust that has covered every piece of furniture we own!!!

Excited People

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Exodus 32:1-6IMG_4920

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

2 So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

3 All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

5 Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”

6 The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.

One of the many struggles I’ve faced as a leader is the desire to want to be liked by the people I’m serving. Although God has required me to love my neighbors and to make disciples, He has never promised that all of them would be my friends. Furthermore, He hasn’t promised that any of them will even LIKE me!

It appears as if Aaron struggled with the same desire to be accepted. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have listened to the people trash talk Moses while he was away worshipping God…. and then help them make an idol to worship!!!

Excited people are infectious. They speak and act with such fervor and facts that its easy to be pulled into their need for instant gratification. Mixed with our lack of patience in seeing God’s promises quickly come to fulfillment, the enemy uses our pride to convince us to take tangible items, melt them down, and worship what emerges from the fire.

Ludicrous.

Yet, it happens all too often in the Body of Christ.

Even though it may feel at times, like Jesus has gone up a mountain and left us, He is always present. Through His Spirit, His children are able to take possession of the land God has promised throughout the earth. In order to do that with greater effectiveness, however, we need “Aaron’s” who refuse to be swayed by excited people who demand their own way. We also need “Moses’s” who serve the Lord, regardless of the consequences. And we need people who are willing to kill their desire to be accepted by their excited brothers, friends and neighbors.

Time to take up my sword and obey God.

Exodus 32:27-29

27 Moses told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” 28 The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.

29 Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves[a] for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.”

On the Way

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Exodus 4:24-26

24 On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him. 25 But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet[a] with the foreskin and said, “Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 (When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.

After having a supernatural burning bush encounter with God, Moses packed up his family and possessions into the minivan (aka: donkey) and headed back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. But on the way to fulfill this HUGE call on his life, the Lord confronted him- and was about to kill him.

What!?!

IMG_4220All of us want to be significant. We want to leave a lasting mark on this earth before we enter into eternal worship of the Father. But sometimes, when we’re flying down the interstate in our minivan or SUV to go fulfill the HUGE call on our life, we fail to obey God in our life, our marriage, and our parenting. Let’s be honest: keeping our covenant with God and our spouse and our children is an unending, self-sacrificing, non-glamorous act of daily obedience. Entire nations aren’t watching us, cheering us on to do what is required. Yet, regardless of the size of the call (btw: every call from God is HUGE and designed for His purposes alone), we must be willing to obey His commands completely in every area of our lives …first. Otherwise, our mind, soul or body may die on the way to that HUGE call.

Growing up sheltered in the palace, then living in Midian, Moses may not have been aware of the covenant God made several hundred years prior with Abraham:

Genesis 17:9-14

9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. 14 Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”

Still, regardless of his ignorance, or whether or not his wife, Zipporah was opposed to circumcision, God had required it as an outward symbol of His promise to His people. Failure to do so would have literally cut Moses and his family off from Gods power and protection.

On the way to fulfilling the HUGE exodus of God’s people out of slavery, Moses chose to obey God in his life, his marriage and his parenting. I pray that I will do the same.