The Power of Obedience
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
Today’s Morsel: If you have ever observed a person enlisting in the military, you will notice that they all recite the same oath of enlistment when they join. Part of that oath states: “I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appoint over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so help me God.” No matter what service they elect to serve in, everyone falls under the Department of War and are governed by the same rules. If you will notice, the creed speaks to obedience. In other words, if you fail to obey a lawful and legal order from the president or the officers over you, you are subject to punishment under the military judicial system. What many do not understand is the power that one has when they obey. Obedience show that you are well disciplined, submitted to authority, and that you can be trusted. Obedience will sooner or later kill and remove any disobedience that may be in your life, and a lack of obedience will kill you. Once, during my military service as a soldier, I showed up late for formation. My military supervisor asked me where I had been and why was I late? When I told him that I was late because my alarm clock did not go off, he looked me in the eyes as serious as he could be and asked me, “What is that on your collar?” I said, “My rank, Sergeant.” He replied, “That’s your alarm clock, and if you want to keep it, I suggest that you ensure that it wakes you up on time so that you are never late again!” I got his message loud and clear and knew that I had better obey if I did not want to be punished and lose my rank, money, and time; as these three were linked together under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Paul states that we should be ready to revenge all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled. When we are fully submitted to Christ, then we can make the proper corrections on other. But if we ourselves are not in obedience and we try to change others, we will be seen as hypocrites.
Sing: I’ll say yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way. I’ll say yes, Lord, yes, I will trust You and obey. When Your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree, and my answer will be yes, Lord, yes.
Thought For Today: “And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
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