1 Peter 1: 13-16, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
It is not always easy to walk in obedience. In fact, walking in obedience to God often forces you to go against those around you, even those in the church, and even those that you love. It gets awkward, uncomfortable, and even painful.
Jesus is the ultimate example of obedience. Philippians 2:8 tells us that Jesus, "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." However, His obedience was not only demonstrated in His death: it was demonstrated in His life.
Out of obedience to the Father, Jesus:
In Jesus' life, the cross represented His suffering, and if we are going to truly follow after Him, then we are going to suffer as well, and just as He willingly accepted the burden of His cross because of His love for us, we must likewise accept the burden of our cross out of our love for Him and for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Now, most people think of that last verse as pertaining only to Christ dying on the cross, but that scripture goes beyond that. Jesus did not just lay down His life in His death on the cross; He laid down His life every day of His life! He did not think of Himself and entertain selfish desires; rather, He gave everything that He possibly could, every single day, out of obedience to the Father and out of love for us.
Considering this, if we call ourselves Christians, which means to be a follower of Christ, then we must follow Him and do as He did!
In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
It is amazing how many times I come back to this passage when I am edifying, exhorting, and teaching, but the truth is that, if we have truly received wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, then we understand that God truly is love and that everything that we do should be motivated out of love for God and love for others, and this includes being obedient.
When the Lord tells me to do something, I am not motivated to do it out of obligation or out of seeking rewards; I do it because I love Him. When He calls me to do something for someone else, I do it because I love Him, and I love them! Even if I am told to speak a word that may not be well received, even if I am told to correct, even if I am told to rebuke, it is all motivated by love.
When I think about Jesus' rebukes of the religious people of His day, I have no doubt that His ultimate hope was for them to repent and turn from the error of their ways with a sincere heart toward God. Likewise, if we are called to speak the truth, we are called to speak the truth in love, and that same hope should be in us.
Whatever the Lord calls us to do, even if it has risks or consequences, we must, out of love for Him and love for others, be obedient. We must surrender all that we are and all that we do to Him, knowing that He loves us and that He has called us unto holiness and obedience.
Stand strong in the faith and be encouraged, brothers and sisters!
It is not always easy to walk in obedience. In fact, walking in obedience to God often forces you to go against those around you, even those in the church, and even those that you love. It gets awkward, uncomfortable, and even painful.
Jesus is the ultimate example of obedience. Philippians 2:8 tells us that Jesus, "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." However, His obedience was not only demonstrated in His death: it was demonstrated in His life.
Out of obedience to the Father, Jesus:
- Forgave sin
- Healed the sick
- Cast out devils
- Raised the dead
- Spoke the truth
- Called out and rebuked religious hypocrisy (vain traditions, ways of thinking, self-righteousness, etc.)
- Loved with all that He was
- Poured out His life
In Jesus' life, the cross represented His suffering, and if we are going to truly follow after Him, then we are going to suffer as well, and just as He willingly accepted the burden of His cross because of His love for us, we must likewise accept the burden of our cross out of our love for Him and for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Now, most people think of that last verse as pertaining only to Christ dying on the cross, but that scripture goes beyond that. Jesus did not just lay down His life in His death on the cross; He laid down His life every day of His life! He did not think of Himself and entertain selfish desires; rather, He gave everything that He possibly could, every single day, out of obedience to the Father and out of love for us.
Considering this, if we call ourselves Christians, which means to be a follower of Christ, then we must follow Him and do as He did!
In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
It is amazing how many times I come back to this passage when I am edifying, exhorting, and teaching, but the truth is that, if we have truly received wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, then we understand that God truly is love and that everything that we do should be motivated out of love for God and love for others, and this includes being obedient.
When the Lord tells me to do something, I am not motivated to do it out of obligation or out of seeking rewards; I do it because I love Him. When He calls me to do something for someone else, I do it because I love Him, and I love them! Even if I am told to speak a word that may not be well received, even if I am told to correct, even if I am told to rebuke, it is all motivated by love.
When I think about Jesus' rebukes of the religious people of His day, I have no doubt that His ultimate hope was for them to repent and turn from the error of their ways with a sincere heart toward God. Likewise, if we are called to speak the truth, we are called to speak the truth in love, and that same hope should be in us.
Whatever the Lord calls us to do, even if it has risks or consequences, we must, out of love for Him and love for others, be obedient. We must surrender all that we are and all that we do to Him, knowing that He loves us and that He has called us unto holiness and obedience.
Stand strong in the faith and be encouraged, brothers and sisters!
