In Matthew 17, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain where He was transformed before them. Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain with Jesus. The disciples were at a loss as to know what to do, though Peter came up with the idea of building tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.
As Peter was presenting his plan, God interrupted him mid-sentence. Of all the profound things God could have said to the disciples, He simply re-affirmed that Jesus was the Son of God and told them to “listen to Him!”
The disciples walked with Jesus every day, they probably slept with Him at night. They heard every sermon He spoke, and yet God felt it necessary to tell them to “listen to Him.”
How much more should we hear the same warning from heaven, “listen to Him.” How do we listen to Jesus today? God speaks to His people in many ways, but certainly foremost is through the pages of the Bible and through prayer. Of course we must set aside time to read and pray if we are going to be able to hear the voice of our Lord.
To listen encompasses the thought of “doing” what Jesus says as well. We must practice the necessary discipline of obedience.
To obey we must listen, to listen is to obey.
If God the Father thought it necessary to remind the disciples of this, who lived with Jesus for a period of three years, should we not hear the same warning from heaven today?
I think we should!
being obedient IS really an important factor in serving God. im also learning that discipline and obedience really DO go hand in hand. this means that everything i NEED to be doing isnt always going to involve what i FEEL LIKE doing.
ReplyDeleteeverything in His Word is a COMMANDMENT. it doesnt say anything about what i FEEL LIKE doing.
my character sans God was always being spoiled, undisciplined, centered around what i FELT LIKE
doing at the moment. if i didnt FEEL LIKE cleaning my house, it just didnt get done. if i didnt FEEL LIKE being nice to someone i didnt like. if i FELT LIKE going out and getting trashed, or i FELT LIKE taking someones boyfriend, or even husband, thats just what i did, with no regard to the people who got hurt in the process. if i FELT LIKE doing it, thats what i did, if i DIDNT FEEL LIKE IT, it didnt get done.
my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and starting to build my life on His Word has started to give me one thing i always needed and never had..DISCIPLINE. everything in His Word is more than even a DECISION, its a COMMANDMENT. its about CHOICES, and theyre not always the ones i FEEL LIKE making at the time.
i may not FEEL LIKE apologizing to someone, when ive done something wrong. i may not FEEL LIKE always cleaning the house. i definitely never feel like cleaning up the dog poop after my bratty bull terrier (which im fixing to have to do..YUCK!!!!) i may not always FEEL LIKE going to the gym. theres a million things i can think of that i NEED TO do, but i dont FEEL LIKE.
building my life on His Word is something i NEED to do on a daily basis. this means i NEED to read it daily. but even when i dont FEEL LIKE it, i can still CHOOSE victory over the enemy boils down to CHOICES i make daily in line with His Word.