Just obey

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22

My biggest regrets in life are when I decide to do things my way when I know the Lord has shown me another way. I justify my will rather than obey God’s will. One such occasion was an encounter with a new “friend” years ago who had a “business” proposition for me. Having a modest salary as a pastor then, we were open to side hustles as long as it didn’t interfere with our work and family time. Still in discussions, we met over lunch when I noticed our potential business partner took two pieces of fruit instead of the one prescribed by the large sign. I mentioned his minor indiscretion, and he quipped back, “nobody will ever know.” I thought to myself, “well, I know, and more importantly, God knows.” I sensed in my spirit from Holy Spirit, “do not work with this man.” Yet impetuous and with an air of greed, we moved forward. It didn't work out in the long run. My lesson was to obey God, not justify.

Saul, one of the Lord’s chosen leaders, won a fierce battle when God gave him clear instructions to take no prisoners and, instead, slay all the enemy, the Amalekites, including their cattle. Saul, not believing the divine commands very practical, decided a better way was to spare the enemy's leader, the king, and give the victor’s people access to the best of the oxen and sheep. Saul was then called out by the priest Samuel and held accountable for his actions of disobedience. And instead of confessing and repenting…he justified. He even wrapped his reasoning with a spiritual motive, that his plan was to use some of the animals as a sacrifice to God. But Samuel dismissed his religious guise and spoke the truth. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Do things God’s way, not what we think or feel is our better way. If we are not accountable to others, we can talk ourselves into almost anything.

Outward religious activities used to justify an inward disobedience to the Lord mocks heaven. Not a healthy place to live. I’ve been guilty of spending generous amounts of time doing the Lord’s work while neglecting the generosity of time for my family and my health, while justifying with my heart and mind that my sacrifice for God was worth whatever I gave up. Yet, the still, small voice of Holy Spirit was gentle, reminding me of my role as a husband and dad, which required mental and emotional margin to love my family properly. Furthermore, if my body, the Spirit’s temple, was being neglected, I ignored the spiritual discipline of caring for and nurturing my heavenly Father’s complex creation…my body. God’s grace and love called out my disobedience, and thankfully, I have Samuels in my life who remind me to obey and trust the Lord’s best. Our idol of disobedience may look different, yet if it weighs on you…obey now. 

“And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments” (Nehemiah 1:5, NKJV).

Spirit of generosity in the midst of scarcity

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:32-34.

I'm not one to celebrate Halloween but there is a lesson I have gleaned from the holiday that gives those who participate the opportunity to create a great sugar rush.  The sudden influx of candy into a home, and children’s posture of generosity that surrounds it. Specifically, how quick kids were to share their “haul” of goods, especially when it was piled in front of them like a small mountain of sugar. Why sweat one or two pieces when hundreds remained? Yet if we were to find the same kids on a “normal” day with little to no sweets in sight, you’d likely encounter a very different spirit of generosity. 

Now, before I’m too hard on the kids, I should be quick to realize this is not a uniquely childish problem, for in truth, it is a window into every human heart. It’s remarkably easy to be generous when our resources have no end in sight. This kind of giving, while certainly a gift to the recipient and not to be discouraged, fails to truly transform our passions and desires: it touches our wallets while leaving our hearts unchanged.

Fear has an incredible impact on our ability to live generous lives. Specifically, fear of not having enough and being unable to provide for ourselves or those we love. When we allow the threat of scarcity to overtake our hearts and minds, it turns us inward toward ourselves and away from God and neighbor. Yet when we give, especially when it’s hard and we aren’t in a season of abundance, we learn to trust, not simply in our own ability to balance the books and cover all of our needs, but to place ourselves firmly in the hands of the one who promises that he will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Giving out of our scarcity is a bold declaration of faith. It is a way to say that our primary allegiance and loyalty rests not in the material possessions of this world but in the values of God’s Kingdom. We learn through sacrifice to treasure what is truly worthy of our affection, setting us free from fear and worry and instead resting secure in a heavenly treasure “that will never fail” (Luke 12:33).

Holy Spirit my teacher

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

I love the tender heart of Jesus. I love how He loves people. I love how He loves us so much that He will never leave us alone. And, I love that before He went to the cross and ascended to heaven, He told His disciples something like this: “I’m going to give you a Helper to be with you who will never leave you, and He will guide you. He will remind you of what I’ve said, and He will be your counselor, advocate, and teacher." 

What great compassion and what great love the Lord has that He didn’t say, “Well, that’s it. I’m going back to heaven. Now, you’re on your own.” Instead, He gave us His very presence through Holy Spirit. And, how wonderful that we have an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-wise teacher in Him. 

When you aren’t sure which route to take, the Spirit is there to guide you. He is the best teacher. 

When you don’t know the words to speak, He will show you what to say. He is the best teacher. 

When you feel discouraged, the Spirit is there to reveal truth to you and give you the help you need to go on. He is the best teacher. 

“He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

How marvelous that the Spirit, full of truth, will share with you and me what He hears from Jesus. (John 16:14)

But what is it that often prevents us to from receiving life-giving teaching and truth from the Spirit? 

It can be many things such as pride, or a lack of belief in the Lord’s love. But oftentimes it’s simply because of unbelief. We simply don’t take the Lord’s words to heart, that the Spirit is there for us, so we don’t seek Him. We’re simply not listening. 

I recently spoke with a young man who is having some challenges in his personal and professional life. I encouraged him to seek the Lord for answers and that the Holy Spirit would guide him. The Lord said He would guide us into all truth. May we seek Him for the truth He promises! If we do not, what treasures we are forfeiting! Can you imagine what He wants to reveal to you?  

I encourage you today . . . if you believe God still speaks as He says He does in His Word; if you believe He hasn’t forgotten you, and that He is ready to hear you, won’t you seek Him for His truth today? He is listening. He is ready to teach you. 

The Holy Spirit is the best teacher. 

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).

The discomfort in calling

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

One day as I sat in the airport waiting to board my flight, I spoke with an individual waiting along with me at the terminal gate, a graduate student studying medicine at Johns Hopkins University. “If there was one thing you could do with your life, what would that one thing be?” I asked. “I’d have my own overseas medical lab,” she said. “But I don’t think that will ever happen,” she said. “That’s just too big of a risk and there’s too much to lose.”

I took a second look at them. They where, articulate, young and intelligent. What do you have to lose? I thought. More than you can imagine.

When we insist on ease, when we demand that God’s plan for our life be comfortable, when we want reward and satisfaction without the difficulty of the unknown, we lose more than we imagined. When we will only say yes to Him when it’s easy, we lose the joy of the journey He has called us to. 

The greatest saints of the Bible didn’t experience reward without discomfort or calling without chaos. Moses was mocked and scorned by those he wanted to rescue; Joseph was abused and ridiculed by his brothers, and every one of the disciples was persecuted for their faith. Even Christ was crucified.

Should we expect following God’s plan, and calling, for our lives without discomfort?

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Look at Jesus! He followed God’s will and he was crucified.” Be encouraged: Jesus endured the pain, the discomfort, and the torture of taking on the entire sin of the world because he knew there was “joy that was set before him‚” (Hebrews 12:2). He knew that the punctuation on his page of pain would be turned to exclamation points of joy.

Imagine that you are on your death bed. Your best friend comes in the room and asks you, “What do you wish you would have done with your life?” Would you say that you wish you would have colored inside the lines a little more, lived life more carefully? 

If you’re like most people, you would feel that you should have lived with a little more reckless abandon and faith. Loved more. Dreamed more. Adventured more. Responded to God’s promptings more. Most of us live far too carefully. God places dreams in our hearts and we find every reason under the sun why we can’t accomplish them. He nudges us to act, and we run. Yes, we risk far too little and so unlike Jesus, we experience little joy.

This is the value of discomfort and the redemptive value of pain. When it’s waded through with God, because He is calling you to something redemptive, there will always be a reward and deep satisfaction on the other side too. 

God’s calling and plans for your life will most likely be deeply uncomfortable at times, but you will never experience deep satisfaction without stepping into the unknown. Will you risk discomfort to experience the joy of knowing you are in the center of His will?

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Transformed Life

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 

Years ago, I spent a considerable amount of time in a large bookstore taking note of the titles. Most of them promised some kind of transformation: how to transform your love life, finances, business, or conversational skills. 

If you spend time talking with people and take note of what they want, everyone wants transformation because we all know that we need transforming. We all know there is something missing this side of heaven. It’s as if we know we were made for perfection, and we want to be, and do, better.   

Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with having the desire to transform your cooking or conversational skills but when it comes to internal transformation, it’s God and His love that transforms. 

Going to church and doing the right things cannot do the work of inner transformation because simply knowing what’s right cannot transform. Only being in right relationship with the Lord transforms. And then (good news!) good actions will flow from a love relationship with Him.  

In Romans 12:2, the Scripture says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

If this is true that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, how can it be that true transformation cannot be absent of love, or a love relationship with Christ? Because, it’s love working together with truth that transforms the human heart but truth minus love is just legalism. 

The Pharisees knew all the answers, but they didn’t love Jesus. They were not in a love relationship with Him, therefore their hearts remained unchanged, and they did not receive eternal life. 

1 Corinthians 13:2 says, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

None of us can transform our own hearts, but if you are in relationship with Christ, you will know Him and as a result you will seek Him and experience transformation. Knowing how to do what is right is not equal to being in a love relationship with Christ. But in knowing Him, you will want to obey. 

I cannot think of anything more beautiful. This means that Jesus isn’t a hard task master. He is a loving God who wants us to know Him and be in an intimate relationship with Him. He wants to know you and me. Wow. And, through knowing Him, our inner man can be transformed. What a magnificent gift. 

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Truth alive

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Truth applied makes us fully alive. Indeed, most people know enough truth to live a worthwhile life. They know to be honest and not lie. They know to be content and not covet another person’s house, car, or spouse. They know to be patient and wait on the Lord to do a work of grace in the life of others. They know to take responsibility and not blame someone else. They know to believe Jesus and to trust Him with their life.

If we know the truth, why do we sometimes struggle with its application? Perhaps we are self-deceived to think the truth of God's word is needed for someone else, but not for us. Truth is right and good, not just right and good for me to practice, or worse, to think I’m living it out, when I’m not. Feeling good or bad, or being educated doesn’t transform behavior. What alters our actions is an inward change expressed in outward obedience to God's word and Holy Spirit guidance. The wonderful benefit of this practical process is that truth applied makes us fully alive.

Truth is like a vaccination, that when administered, prevents us from being infected with foolish living. It is like a life-saving serum applied to sin’s poisonous snakebite, potentially healing us from relational, emotional, physical and spiritual death. There is no downside to honestly gazing into the mirror of truth—assessing our life, better yet inviting godly friends to look with you, and then by God’s grace, applying truth for change.

 

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

 

Is there a dark area of your life that needs the bright light of truth to expose it and root it out? Are there bad attitudes and habits you blame on past pain and injustice? If so, lean into the truth and do not be satisfied until truth’s application frees you from mediocre living. Truth applied does make you fully alive—it is a dependable friend who walks with you through wise decision-making. Dismiss dishonest living and invite freedom in honest living. Ask the Lord to reveal truth to you and empower you to live out the truth.

 

“When you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).