Levels of Obedience

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence … “  (Php 2:12, NIV)

Obedience is a heart issue. When I was a child, I obeyed my earthly father out of fear and concern of what would happen to me if I didn’t. As I got older, I realized obedience was for my own good. As I continued to mature, obeying was more a matter of not wanting to disappoint my parents. This is still not the level of obedience God has called us to.

God calls us to a higher level of obedience, a mature obedience. When I first came to Christ, I obeyed out of fear and concern of what would happen to me if I didn’t. As I got older, I realized obedience was for my own good. As I continued to mature, obeying was more a matter of not wanting to disappoint God. Eventually I came to a place where because of my love for God, I didn’t want to do anything to offend Him or hinder my relationship with Him. 

When I was a child and my father was around I would be obedient to his requirements.  f he went somewhere, maybe I would be obedient and maybe I wouldn’t. In our verse today, Paul is calling the believers to a higher level of obedience. He says “as you have been obedient in my presence, now be obedient in my absence.”

“Respond in my absence, just as you would if I was there among you.” The obedience Paul is talking about is the kind that is a “working out” of what God has “put in”. There are things that accompany salvation, and these things are to be evidenced in our lives. Not because Paul is there, or a preacher, or Sunday school teacher, or school teacher, or a policeman, or fireman, or Mom, or Dad, but because there has been a change wrought in our heart and we want to do what is right. And we want to do it not because of fear of punishment, but because of love, appreciation, and awe.

You see, God is doing something inside of us. He is giving us the desire to act in accordance with His Word. And as if that wasn’t enough, He is also giving us the ability to do the things He wants us to!  Php 2:12-13 from the NIV Bible says:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Revelation, Boundaries & Restraint II

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.  (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)

Long before having a vision for your life, ministry, church, business, etc was vogue in Christian and secular circles, God had already talked about it in His Word.  First let’s look at Proverbs 29:18 in a couple different versions.  

The NIV Bible says: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” 

 The NAS Bible says: “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. “

 The word, vision, or revelation, might be better understood as divine communication. It is a vision, a revelation, a divine communication that comes to us from God. It is a revelatory communication from God in which He reveals Himself and/or His divine purposes.

 The Bible says that without this people are unrestrained. They have no boundaries, no parameters, nothing to regulate or measure their lives by. They have no lines to live between and no rule book to live by as we saw in Part I of Vision, Revelation, & Boundaries. Their lives have no boundaries, restraints, convictions, consideration, or guidance.  The end result is confusion, turmoil, and destruction.

On the other hand people who do have divine communication (vision)  from God and follow it, are obedient to the revelation (vision), have lives that are filled with blessings.  They will be happy, contented, fruitful, and have meaningful lives.  The Word is clear, it is not enough to know the vision, we must be obedient to it. As Paul said in Acts 23:19, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision".

In the context of the verse we have been looking at the vision is the Law God gave to Moses.  In the context of our time it would be the Old and New Testaments.  In the context of a personal vision for our lives, it would be God revealing something specific He wants us to do.  That specific thing will always be in agreement with the greater context of God’s revealed will in His Word.

 

The NLT Bible says “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy.

If we don't stay within our realm of authority & conduct ourselves in accordance with governing stipulations we will end up outside of safe boundaries.

Revelation, Boundaries, & Restraint

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. " (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)

 

In baseball, there are two lines running from home base all the way to the fence that marks the end of the field.  One line runs from home base and passes just outside the first base, and the other runs from home base and passes just outside of third base.  Any ball hit in between those lines is a “fair ball” and the batter is to then run the bases with out being put out. Any ball that is outside of those two lines is called a ‘foul ball” and the batter is not to run the bases yet.

The lines give the players some parameters in which to play, some guidelines as it were. When you add the rules for playing baseball to this, the game proceeds fairly smoothly.  For the most part the game is played within the parameters that have been marked out by the aforementioned lines that separate fair from foul.

In football there is a big rectangular box that outlines the playing field, clearly defining the limits within which the game is to be played. Outside the lines you are either out of bounds or out of the end zone. You must play within the box.  Every sport has clearly defined boundaries and a set of rules by which you must play.  Otherwise there would be complete chaos.

If I was going to write the above verse for baseball, it would look something like the following. Where baseball is played without clearly defined boundaries and without a rule book, the players are unrestrained and do whatever they want to causing confusion, frustration, and altercations: the players however who play within the boundaries and keep the rules have a much greater potential of having fun, enjoying the game, and accomplishing something specific.

I am pretty sure we are starting to get a better understanding of this verse (Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.)

I have more to say about this but will save it for the next post. For now, I will finish with sports. Sports have to be played within the established boundaries, (between the lines), and must be played (guided) by the rule book, just as we Christians must live within the boundaries clearly established by Scripture, with them as our guide.

When there’s no vision, the people get out of control, but whoever obeys instruction is happy. (Proverbs 29:18, CEB)

Passing On

“ …I desire to depart …”  (Php 1:23, NIV)

Have you ever just wanted to die? I am not talking about being suicidal here, so don’t freak on me. I’m just talking about life getting tough enough that you are ready to go on. I have even had a one sided conversation with God about it.

“That’s it Lord! I’m outta here!  You might as well just take me on.”

Now I haven’t ever made plans about making it happen, or daydreamed about it, but I have been frustrated enough to just be ready to go on to heaven. I have also talked to enough people to know I am not alone. There are others who have arrived at this point a time or two in their lives. You may be one of those people, so I want to share my take on this with you.

First let’s look at Philippians 1:21-24 in the NIV Bible:

(21)For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (22)If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! (23)I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; (24)but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Even Paul was torn between the desire to live and the desire to go. In verse 23 in the NLT Bible, Paul writes: “I'm torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ.” One of the difference between Paul and us is the reason for it.

Paul didn’t want to die to escape this life or hardships, he was so in love with Jesus that he just wanted to be with Him. Paul was also aware that to live on in this life would be beneficial to others, while to go would be beneficial to himself.

He wrote in the end of verse 23 , of dying, and in verse 24, of living,: “That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live.”

We need to remember in tough times that it is not about us. Also our lives have the potential to bring benefit to others. I have always thought it would be a sign of maturity to want to die because of love for and the desire to be with Christ instead of wanting to die to escape circumstances. The desire to escape is selfish, but it is ok to look forward to living in Christ’s presence forever.

I Feel Much Better Now

This summer I have been cooking my son breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and toast. This has proved to be a problem for me as the way the eggs look when I crack them into a bowl has grossed me out. I normally eat at least one hard boiled egg a day but this has definitely diminished my appetite for them. I did a search and found the following which has made me feel much better about the whole ordeal. I am going to boil some eggs in a bit.

Ask Dr. Knowledge

What are the white things that hang off an egg yolk?

June 28, 2010         

                         

What are the white things that hang off an egg yolk? A friend claims it is chicken sperm and another says they are tiny chicken embryos. Are either of them right?

                                

Neither of your friends has it quite right, and it’s amazing how few people know what these things are even after having cracked thousands of eggs.
 

An egg yolk is basically a bag of concentrated food for the development of a chicken embryo if the egg is fertilized. It doesn’t float around freely inside the clear egg white, but is anchored to the shell by two little twisted ropes called chalazae (pronounced cuh-LAY-zee), and these are the white things you are talking about. One chalaza connects the yolk at the more pointed end of the egg and the other at the rounder end. This tethering ensures that the yolk is protected against hitting the inner walls of the egg if the egg is moved around.
 

A lot of people pick these things out when they crack an egg, but they are quite safe to eat. They can also tell you something very useful. As eggs age, these structures start to disappear, so clearly visible chalazae are a good sign your eggs are fresh.
 

You can also see the spot that could develop into a chicken as a little white region on the yolk which is not one of the chalazae. This is called the germinal disk. If the egg were fertilized, it would have genetic information from the mother hen and from the rooster’s sperm, but it wouldn’t actually be rooster sperm. Anyway, most chicken eggs are unfertilized.
 

Some people wonder why chickens keep laying eggs that aren’t fertilized. The way to understand this is to realize that humans ovulate once a month, and that happens regardless of whether or not the egg will be fertilized. Chickens are similar, but they ovulate about once a day and then push the eggs out of their bodies.
 

Ask Dr. Knowledge is written by Northeastern University physicist John Swain. E-mail questions to drknowledge@globe.com or write to Dr. Knowledge, c/o The Boston Globe, PO Box 55819, Boston, MA 02205-5819.

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company

Good Soil Has Great Potential

“But he that received seed into the good ground … “  (Mt 13:23, KJV)

I think God likes to have a good time with me. I don’t mean like hanging out, shooting the breeze and going places together. Not that God wouldn’t enjoy that kind of stuff, it just that I’m not all that much fun to hang out with. Maybe a better way of saying it would be that sometimes I think God likes to have a good time at my expense.

You know how some people are pretty good at doing some unusual thing? I think most, if not all, of us have at least one thing we’re pretty good at. Well, I can get my foot in my mouth without much effort. Now the folks listening may not know I have done it, but God does. Let me talk long enough and I will set a trap with my mouth that my foot can’t get out of.

One night at a friend’s house, someone asked me to read aloud the parable of the sower. I did that and when I had finished he asked me ”What kind of soil is your heart?” Without missing a beat I answered “Good soil.”

I was driving home later, feeling pretty good. It had been a good evening and I felt that I had handled myself rather well. I’m driving along and God says “See that field?” I look beside me and there is a big field. “If it was good soil and I planted a lot of seeds in it, how much fruit would there be?” Again not missing a beat, I answered “A lot of fruit Lord.”

Now, I know that some of you are already seeing that I am fixing to have another life changing moment. I never saw it coming. After a moment of silence, I hear ”I have planted a lot of seed in your heart.” Wow, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

It wasn’t so much in reaction to what was said, so much as to what had been  implied. “I have planted a lot of seed in your heart” was what was said.  “And there’s not much fruit” was what was implied. Well, that pretty much sucked the wind out of my sails, and there I was repenting again.

Two more thoughts. First of all, we don’t have as many people fooled as we think we do. Secondly, isn’t it amazing how much God can say without hardly  saying anything? 

When The Going Gets Tough

Four Things To Remember  When The Going Gets Tough
 

Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. (Ps 37:25)

1. God is faithful...

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (2 Cor 4:7-12)

2.    The things that happen that seem to cause death in us are actually uncovering life...


Even though I walk  through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Ps 23:4)

3.    God is with us in the valley...

 

“Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved?” (SOS 8:5)

 4.  God has purpose, even in the wilderness...