Obedience and Discipline
The key and the path to blessing
4 min read, approximately
“though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation; named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:8-10)
God’s Word contains so many blessings. There are blessings for whatever we desire. But often we focus on what we will receive, forgetting the steps we must take to obtain that blessing. It is clear that God is sovereign and that everything is possible for him (Mark 10:27). But since you and I have the ability, God will always leave us to do our part, and he will do his. Often, the blessing depends on our obedience in doing what we need to do. Let us read a few verses in the Word to confirm what we have just described: \1. We know well what Jesus did, but what did the disciples do?
“And he commandeth the multitude to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he brake, and gave to his disciples, to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. And they had a few small fishes: and having blessed them, he commanded to set these also before them.” (Mark 8:6-7)
\2. What Jesus did was wonderful, but what did Peter do?
“And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received the half-shekel came to Peter, and said, Doth not your teacher pay the half-shekel? He saith, Yea. And when he came into the house, Jesus spake first to him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? the kings of the earth, from whom do they receive toll or tribute? from their sons, or from strangers? And when he said, From strangers, Jesus said unto him, Therefore the sons are free. But, lest we cause them to stumble, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a shekel: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” (Matthew 17:24-27)
\3. We know the word God declared through Elisha, but what did Naaman do?
“10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger, saying: Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean. 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh became like the flesh of a child, and he was clean.” (2 Kings 5:10,14)
\4. We know what the Lord did at the Red Sea, but what did Moses and the people do?
“15 Then the Lord said to Moses: Why do you cry out to me? Tell the children of Israel to move forward. 16 And you, lift your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, so that the children of Israel may go through the midst of the sea on dry ground. 21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind all that night, turning the sea into dry ground, and the waters were divided. 22 Then the children of Israel entered the midst of the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall on their right and on their left.” (Exodus 14:15-16,21-22)
And we will find many, many more accounts where the common denominator is obedience. God will do his part, and we must do ours. So today I want to remind you that God has that blessing, that miracle, for you, but just like the 10 lepers, God needs you to do your part! (Luke 17:12-14). Just as God did with Lazarus, God needs us to be obedient and do what we have been entrusted to do… Our part is to remove the stone; God’s part is to bring about the blessing and the miracle (John 11:38-40). And finally, we know well what the Lord has done and does, but… what should you and I do?
May God continue to bless you
and may you continue to have an excellent day in Christ Jesus!
I invite you to stop by the Songbook