OBEDIENCE

Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

INSIGHT -In Hebrew, obedience is written as shama & means to hear, discern, discipline, submission, authority,
-Adam was commanded not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good & evil but disobeyed & was sent out of the garden of Eden lest he also eats of the tree of life. -In Gen 3:14, the serpent was cursed more that every beast for it moves by the belly & eats dust all of its life. In Gen 3:19, for dust you are, and dust you shall return. Man’s disobedience continues to cause enemity between him & the serpent as the serpent eats dust (man without the spirit of God) all its life.

PRAYER: Holy God, have mercy on us & forgive us for our disobedience. Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for our salvation. Help us to be true disciples in our thoughts, words & deeds so that we can be safe from any form of calamity. Guide us to be salt & light of the world by obeying Your commands & doing Your Holy will. Amen

Genesis 35:9-12 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.”

INSIGHT -The Lord commanded Jacob to move to Bethel at a time when he was toubled that Perizzites & Canaanites might kill him. He ordered his household to put away their foreign gods, purify themselves, and change their garments (picture of passover/meeting God). -With Jacobs obedience came blessing, change of identity from Jacob to Israel, promise of a lineage of kings & inheritance.

PRAYER: Lord our Father, grant us mercy. Answer us in moments of distress & be with us in the way which we should go. Give us a heart of flesh so that we may listen to Your voice & do according to Your will. Amen

Psalm 91:11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

INSIGHT -God gives orders to His angels (who obey), to keep guard over us & keep us in all our ways. -In Psalm 103:20, Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.

PRAYER: Give Your angels charge over us Oh Lord, to keep us in all your ways. We praise You & glorify Your mighty Name Father; with all the hosts of heaven forever. Amen

Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

INSIGHT -For Adams disobedience we all became sinners but Jesus obeyed the Father & died on the cross making us free from the bondage of sin. -In Rom 12:1-2, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. Do not conform to the world but be renewed in your mind to prove what is good & acceptable will of God. 1 Sam 15:22, obedience is better than sacrifice. -Jesus sacrificed for us all, therefore we should also sacrifice for God, for others & for oneself; keeping in mind that obedience is better than sacrifice.

PRAYER: Abba Father, thank You for your love for us. Instill the same love in us so that we love You more & love our neighbour as ourselves. Strengthen our bodies & renew our minds to obey your holy will in humility always. Amen

James 4:7-8 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

INSIGHT -James writes that we should humbly submit to God. Resist the devil by doing God’s will/commands & he will flee from us. By this we draw near to God & He draws near to us. -In Mat 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. -Obedience invites the Spirit of God in us/ welcomes God’s blessings, identity & inheritance/ angels also obey God/ obedience is better than sacrifice/ Christs’ obedience made us all righteous

PRAYER: We humbly come to You Lord our Father; asking for forgiveness. Cleanse our hands from all uncleanness. Purify our minds & break all psychological strongholds that draw us far from You. Guide our lives in Your will as we obey Your commands. We praise You & honor You. Amen

Our Father who at in heaven; hallow be thy name….

Please meditate on the theme; obedience.