Obedience: The Hallmark Of True Holiness
Obedience: The Hallmark Of True Holiness
Romans 6:16-17 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Obedience is deeply embedded and pivotal in the story of salvation, and it is the very first step of conviction. Our obedience to God’s call at salvation is demonstrated through hearing and responding to the call at Calvary. Therefore, the resultant righteousness through the washing of the blood of Christ comes through our obedience to His word. In tandem, our sustenance in the way of the kingdom is through our continuous and steadfast obedience to His instructions. Even today, no political ruler or corporate boss will continue to tolerate or allow the services of a subordinate who continuously defies their orders with impunity and disdain. They would soon have fired and blacklisted such from their company. In the matters of the kingdom, our absolute obedience demonstrates our readiness to retain our citizenship and ambassage of the Kingdom of God- Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
Obedience is a core demand from God but left to us as a voluntary choice- Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. But there are spelled-out consequences to choosing disobedience to the words of God. Sometimes, we attempt to save face and placate our conscience by modifying the tenets of God’s commands to suit ourselves and reduce the absoluteness of the demand for obedience. Take a look at Saul In 1st Samuel 15 who was given explicit orders to consume the enemy but diffracted in his obedience by retaining some of the proceeds of the war claiming they were for sacrifice to God-an adventure that was out of the scope of the orders given to him. The consequence is there for all to see- 1 Samuel 15:22 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.
In conclusion, we must obey the Lord in whichever forms it comes to us, be it to move forward, stay at a point, overtake, submit, repent, restitute, keep quiet, shout aloud, restrain, suffer, build, destroy, etc. As long as it is from Him, we must go head-on without questioning, without murmur, and with trust in His sovereignty and wisdom. Our declaration each day to the Lord must be “And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do (Joshua 9:25)”.
Meditation
BE YE DOERS OF THE WORD
1. Out of James one twenty-two Comes a call for Juniors true.
Who will live for Christ the risen
Lord:
Listen to this trumpet call
Ringing out to one and all,
chorus:
Be ye doers of the Word.
Be ye doers of the Word,
Be ye doers of the Word,
Be ye doers of the Word,
And not hearers, not hearers only,
Be ye doers of the Word
2. We would strive for Christ to live; Time and talents we would give;
We would follow Jesus all the way:
Tithes and offerings we would
bring;
We would work and pray and sing
For the Master every day.
3. Kind to others we would be,
Jesus likeness they would see;
We would keep our bodies clean
and strong:
We would strive in school and play
To learn lessons and obey,
Live for right and conquer wrong.
4. Let us serve with all our might;
Let us stand for truth and right,
Always living for the risen Lord:
Come and join our happy throng;
Sing with us our joyous song,
Be ye doers of the Word.
