Choose Obedience

If ye love me, keep my
commandments.

John 14:15

In viewing the Christian life, I feel one of the hardest parts of it all is that of obedience. I guess it shouldn't be, considering all Jesus has done for us past, present and into the future. After all, we have the wonderful privilege of basking in the love of God every minute we live and breathe, so what's the problem?

Someone asked me a few years ago what I considered the main theme of the Bible to be. I told her that I felt at the time and still do that every word of the Bible is penned with the ink of God's love. However, I feel the next resounding theme of God's Word is that of obedience. We can see it all through the Old and New Testaments that affected not just Bible characters, but real live human beings with similar feelings we have come to know in our own lives.

Follow my thinking for a few moments with my own paraphrases:
It all started from the very beginning of God's Word when God spoke to that first couple in Eden about that one tree in the middle of the garden...”Don't touch it.”
Noah...”Build an ark.” (He didn't know what an ark [boat] or even rain was.)
Abraham...”Sacrifice your son.”
Moses...”Lead my people back home from Egypt.”
Joshua...”March around Jericho with my people and the walls will fall.”
Ezra...”Lead My people back to Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah...”Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.”
Esther...”Speak to the King on behalf of our people.”
Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest of the OT prophets...”Prophesy!”
Joseph...”Take Mary and the child to Egypt.” (Of course, more could be said here.)
Disciples...”Follow Me.”
John from a desolate island...”Write...”

This list could be filled in with so many other people from Scripture. I think of the times when Jesus healed people of various maladies. That healing was often accompanied by a command where the sick or impaired person was asked to respond in some way...”Take up thy bed and walk.” “Maid, arise.” “Weep not.” “Young man, I say unto thee, arise.” I am wondering what would have happened if those folks had refused to obey Jesus in those moments. It was a way of their claiming their healing. Would they have been healed? It's interesting to contemplate.

I'm wondering in the course of my own spiritual walk what all I may have missed because of disobedience. I know there were times when the Holy Spirit encouraged me to arise out of my circumstances and walk strong and tall, but I was happy attending my own pity party. One of my daughter's spoke of a friend of hers who had young children. When one of those children would become a little on the misbehaving side and hadn't responded to the mother's look, she would go to that child and would quietly say in his ear, “Choose obedience.” She was admonishing that children not only to behave correctly, but those two words also served as a warning of consequences that could result.

How often have we read our Bibles and found wise counsel for living, but we quickly move on to the next verse or page, not realizing that we please God most when we choose to obey Him. What a shame when God has to get our attention and perhaps teach us hard lessons that could be avoided if we would only make the good choice of obedience.

In the Gospels, there were people who were amazed at the power in Jesus to perform the miracles He did. After calming the raging sea, those present marveled that even the wind and waves obeyed Him. There was a healing where even unclean spirits obeyed Jesus. In Acts chapter five, we read how we ought to obey God rather than man. This is where many of us fail. We tend to be “people pleasers”

I've always felt bad that my children were born in the 1970's. I so wish they could have come into an America where there was respect for authority, no riots (racial or otherwise), unconditional respect for teachers and policemen, proper attire, music that made sense and when parents were obeyed without sass. Those are things they were born into and I knew they would never know anything like the “happy days” of the 1950's. Those folks born after 1960 have had to learn, often the hard way, what obedience was. I'm so grateful that my children weathered those days and are God-serving and loving adults. So what is obedience?

Obedience: complying with an order, request to another's authority.

That may be hard at times, but with God, because of His great love, obedience should really be our first response to Him. The thing is, who or whatever we follow is where our allegiance will be. Paul says:

Know ye not, that in 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.
Being then made free from sin, ye became
the servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:16-18

Here's the problem...we have to know what God wants us to obey which means being in His Word consistently. We will be held accountable for every word of it whether we have read it or not. Here at the beginning of a new year is a great time to set some Bible reading goals.

Impossible to believe but it's true, that as we obey God and His commands, we will walk in spiritual freedom. So....

God+Me+Obedience=Spiritual Freedom

You see, it begins with God and me being in right relationship to which I can add obedience. The result will be a spiritual freedom beyond all explanation. Too often in our day, there are distractions that can keep us from walking in the freedom God intends for us. May it become as normal as breathing for us to be God's obedient children. His desire is that we CHOOSE OBEDIENCE.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the clarity of Your words to us. Empower us to want to walk in obedience to You not for ulterior motives but simply out of our love for You. We really do love You. In Your precious name....Amen

Crutches of Life

My soul followeth hard after thee:
thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:8

It was amazing as we were cleaning out our attic in preparation for our move to Tennessee, to find so many things we had stashed away in a span of a few years. I think the only time we clean out the attics of our houses is either when we are planning to move to another house or when someone dies. With our present move, we came across two or three sets of crutches. You would have to know the Lanoue men and their problem with knees to understand how we could have accumulated them. Those crutches, both wooden and metal, had been used when there were knee cap problems, sprains, etc. thus it was a benefit to keep those crutches handy.

What are crutches for? They are meant to help one who has sustained some kind of injury to the lower extremities of the body to aid in getting from one place to another. There are some people with balance problems who often need crutches just to steady themselves, even in just standing. Crutches are vital for those with a physical need of them. However, crutches are awkward, bundlesome and next to impossible to manipulate if one needs to also carry something while using crutches. Sounds complicated and often is. Except for some crippling diseases that require permanent use of crutches, it must be remembered that crutches under normal circumstances are meant to be temporary. Crutches in themselves can cause even more debilitating conditions for those who refuse to give them up when it is time to do so.

I have come to learn from personal experience, more than in observing others, that I have often found myself using invisible crutches. At one time or another, we all have invisible crutches. I can understand that happening with people who are not Christians. Christians, however, can also find themselves leaning on things/people to help with balance in their lives and that provides a sense of security. Some crutches folks learn to lean on may involve money, jobs, friends, spouses, exercise/diet programs, material possessions, relatives, and yes, even pets, and the list could go on. It can happen in such a slow but steady way, that we may find ourselves on invisible crutches without noticing it. Bottom line is that in this area, God is the one we are to lean on for our security and well being.

Real crutches can break or slip causing one to fall. The invisible crutches we come up with in this life of ours are not very reliable either. People will let us down, material things are passing, money can be fleeting and health issues can recur. There is nothing in this life that is permanent and totally reliable, except Jesus.

Back in 1972, Bill Withers wrote a song that is catchy, and one of those we could go around humming all day. The words of the chorus are as follows:

“Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on.
For, it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on.”

This could be a theme song for those who want to sign up to be a crutch in the lives of others. Many of us have the “crutch nature,” that of always wanting to help someone keep their balance in life. Being a help to others is wonderful, but not to the point of encouraging others to depend on us so heavily that it isn't healthy. In today's verbage, we hear the word “enabler.” That's what crutches are...enablers. They enable us to function and hopefully heal. When we allow ourselves to be crutches/enablers in the lives of others long term, we rob those people of dependence on the Lord thus draining them of sound spiritual health.

There is a chorus to another song that is even more familiar to us. It speaks of the healthiest kind of leaning. The words to the song were written in the mid 1800's by Philip P. Bliss and it says:

Leaning....leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning...leaning
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

YES...this is the answer when we tend to walk with the invisible crutches of people and things...and that is leaning on Jesus and Jesus alone. No one, no thing can support us or hold us up like Jesus when we're at our weakest. Scripture admonishes us to lean totally on Him. Everything in our lives must be seen through Jesus and His Word. Leaning on Jesus is to be a continual learning and leaning experience. Only He has the wisdom and power to keep us going in every way. God's Word assures us that He is to be the only person in our lives that we can completely trust with His reliable support. We read:

For I the Lord thy God will hold thy
right hand, saying unto thee,
Fear not, I will help thee.
Isaiah 41:13

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be of help to people, especially if they are going through a tough time. That's a part of our ministry as Christians. If we aren't careful, we can encourage people to become very dependent on us instead of on the Lord. This doesn't mean we walk totally away from someone we have helped. We do want to rejoice with them when we see that crutches are no longer needed. You and I must always be learning to find our balance and spiritual health holding Jesus' hand. We want to encourage the same thing in the lives of those we encourage.

What a wonderful day it is when we can give up our invisible crutches and throw them into the attic of our lives, hopefully to leave them there. We will have learned that God's hand is always extended to us, His hand of love and help for He is our true hope and stability...we are such blessed people.

My Father...thank You for Your love and care for me even though I fail so often. Having You as my spiritual stability means more than I can say. Thank you for guiding me and walking with me in my every day life. I love You...in Jesus' precious name....Amen

Courage vs Fear

Only be strong an very courageous,
that you may observe to do according
to all the law which Moses My servant
commanded you; do not turn from it
to the right hand or to the left, that
you may prosper wherever you go.

This Book of the Law shall not depart
from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that
you may observe to do according
to all that is written in it. For then
you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong
and of good courage: do not be
afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:7-9

Never will I forget on that fateful day of 9/11 watching things unfold after two planes crashed into the twin towers in New York City. Like so many American's, I have pictures of those days etched in my minds of sights too terrible to describe that will never leave me. One of the most remarkable things of that day in New York City was watching police and firemen rushing into those two buildings in the hope of rescuing as many people as they could. They didn't stop and think what the consequences of their bravery might be. We know now that many didn't come back out of those buildings and many of those heroes lost their lives. Many who did manage to get out were interviewed by the press. Those interviewed did so with tears streaking down their dirt and dust covered faces, sad that they couldn't do more to save more people. Such courage is rarely displayed like it was in those days.

When we speak of courage, I wonder if we ever pause to consider what courage is.
For several years, we had a family tradition of watching The Wizard of Oz on TV. Back then, the movie was shown on TV only once a year. If you have seen the movie, you will recall the Cowardly Lion. He wanted to go see the Wizard of Oz with Dorothy so that he could receive courage from the Wizard. That poor lion was always fearful, cowardly and so longed to be what a lion was supposed to be...brave and courageous. I guess it would be nice if courage came that easy for us.

Unfortunately, we usually think of courage as being something required for huge, difficult tasks. Such is not always true. Some of the most courageous people I have known have been those who faced difficulties no other human being knew about.

Looking up some definitions, I found courage to be:
facing one's fears (I've heard this one for several years)
strength in the face of pain, grief or danger
mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.

Moses had died. God took care of that whole incident, to the point that the people didn't even know the circumstances of his death nor where God chose to bury him. For years, Joshua had been groomed by Moses for leadership. Like many people in that kind of situation, Joshua probably never fully grasped that there could be a life without Moses and that he would be called upon to step into Moses' sandals. But, the day of Joshua's elevation to leadership had arrived. I can't imagine the intimidation he must have felt as he viewed on his own, for the first time, the horde of people Moses had been responsible for. He surely recalled all the headaches they gave Moses as he did his best to lead them to the homeland as God had instructed him. Despite Moses' dedication, too many times the people had risen up in rebellion against Moses.

It is so wonderful that when God places a call on one's life, He so wonderfully equips that person for the task ahead. That task that may seem insurmountable might be a new and difficult job or position. It could be a young man bending on his knee to propose to the love of his life, taking on the responsibility of a wife and future children...hardly a much higher calling than perhaps that of a wife. I have a dear friend in Texas who has found that she has a brain tumor. She, with her doctors are still working on what her treatment plan is to be. What of that young person, leaving home to go to college. He or she has perhaps never been away from home, mom and dad, friends but a new life now presents itself.

It's important to note that it was the Lord who in verse one of Joshua chapter one, spoke very clearly to Joshua and the encouraging instructions go for 9 verses. God wasted no words but along with a strong voice was also encouraging the promise of His guidance and direction. Please note that everything God promised Joshua is available to you and me as well. Also note that God never gives us a command we cannot keep as long as we rest in His strength and follow His instructions.

You may look over these verses but in this entire portion of Scripture, three times I see/hear God saying, “Be strong and of good courage” (1:6)....also...”Only be strong and very courageous”(1:7)...and then...”Be strong and of good courage.(1:9)” How does this happen? Those same verses explain the importance of following the Word of God. How are we to do that?

Verse 8 gives us the list:
The Word isn't to depart from our mouths. It is to be on the tip of our tongues. To do that we have to read it and know it well.
We are to meditate on the Word day and night...think upon it more than we think about our challenges.
There must be a determination to observe what we read in God's Word.
Rest in the fact that our God is with us wherever we go. (V 9)

All of us have challenges and difficult tasks ahead of us in this new year. The best preparation we can make for any expectation that comes our way is to be daily in the Word of God. It will instruct, guide, strengthen and comfort. It can instill a courage and resolve in our lives that very often the best of Christians won't understand as they observe you and me dealing with some seeming impossible calls on our lives. Let me also add that it is extremely rare for Christians to recognize courage in themselves. It is a quality usually observed by others and will rarely be known within one's self. A courageous Christian may sense an empowerment inside her/himself that is of God, but would rarely recognize it or refer to it as courage.

Dear Father, Draw me closer to Yourself than I've ever been. I can't make it through this life without your presence and directions. Keep me in Your Word and help me to obey Your everything Your Word asks of me. Thank you for loving me...In Jesus' precious name...Amen

Be Prepared

Somewhere in my much younger Scouting days, I seem to remember the motto, “Be prepared.” I'm not sure anyone ever thoroughly explained to me what that meant. It may have been confusing if someone had as just the word “prepare” can take on any number of meanings depending on how the word is used. When I prepare a meal, I have both thought it out, cooked the “whatever”...thus, I prepared a meal for my household. A person who is prepared is someone who is ready for action so the word itself can have a before and after meaning.

In our Sunday school lessons of late, we are now in the book of Ezra. There are times while “preparing” a lesson that a verse just pops out at me and our up coming lesson is no exception. Chapter 3 of Ezra gives information about this godly man and leader who had the responsibility of leading some of his people out of captivity back to the home front. There was a lot to be done in Jerusalem. Some building of houses and walls had already been done. Ezra, however, was very concerned about the spiritual state of his people. He and they set out to re-establish the building of an altar and then laying a foundation for a temple. In all of this, Ezra was seen by the people as a strong, spiritual leader. What contributed to such strengths in this godly man. Allow me to pick apart Ezra 3:10 to see what contributed to the spiritual fiber in this man who was an example for his people but even today is an example for us as well.

For Ezra had prepared his heart
to seek the Law of the Lord
and to do it,
and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

If we are going to amount to anything for God, there must be action on our part to get prepared. It begins with the heart and ends with the heart. It must be our heart's desire to be all for God we can possibly be. This could have to do with education that may be required for a certain vocation. Still yet, that drive and initiative will still be a heart thing. As we prepare our hearts, God will instill in us a love for people, people we may lead or serve in some way. I have known people in full time Christian work, hoping to be spiritual leaders who will never make it. Little love for people will usually indicate something lacking in ones love relationship with the Lord. Ezra loved his people and had, it would seem, every credential for being the spiritual leader of his people. Love for God and people were instrumental in Ezra's
heart preparation.

Ezra's next step was to seek the Law of the Lord...God's Word. There is no substitute for this. We can hold every possible position in the church, pay our bills, do for our families and even refrain from kicking the family dog. Those things will never be a substitute for seeking on a daily basis what the Word of God has to say as we open it's pages, praying for the Holy Spirit to teach us as only He can. Leading and teaching people takes a great deal of energy. Most people don't believe that but any leader or teacher could attest to that fact.

Notice next, that Ezra not only got into God's Word, the Law and came to know it well but he took the next step. He simply did what it said...obedience. How many times have we read something in our Bibles that spoke to our hearts, encouraging us to do or be something for God. We perhaps closed that precious book, walked away and continued doing our own thing. If we are to count for God, our lives must be those of obedience. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” That's pretty clear and plain. Our obedience is a yardstick to measure the level of love we have for Jesus. My children will tell you that when they were young, I often made the statement, “Simple obedience is all that is required.” As I said that to them, there were times I know when I wasn't practicing what I was preaching in my walk with my Heavenly Parent. Any good leader I have ever known is one with the heart of a servant, submissive and humble in spirit. Those are qualities instilled by God in His child who chooses to walk in obedience to His will.

Lastly...and after the above...Ezra was in a position to lead through his teaching the statutes and ordinances of God's law. Many women I know are quick to say, “But I'm just not a teacher.” I don't believe that for one minute. Every one of us are teachers whether we know it or not. God broadens our influence as we walk in obedience to Him and His Word. Some may be professional teachers while most are not. The most uneducated women I've known are still teachers as they instill character and Godly principles into the lives of their children. Some ladies beautifully teach Sunday school classes. They may not be the most articulate but God blesses their study and efforts as those they teach learn and are blessed.

We are often teaching when we have no idea we are doing it. My friend Patsy would probably tell you that she isn't a teacher. She can sub in a children's class but wouldn't want to teach my ladies class. She's a hard worker with hands-on, background things at church. She has to be one of the most thoughtful women I know, tender in heart and spirit. She brought me a basket the other day that contained six wrapped gifts and a card. She knew I was going to be going through six chemo treatments for six weeks. She said I could open one gift after each chemo process. The first gift was a lovely candle and she had attached to it a Bible verse:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD,
and whose hope the LORD is.
Jeremiah 17:7

In all my reading of Scripture, I don't know how many times I may have read that verse, but on that day, that verse lived anew for me. I saw that with everything going on, I will be blessed as I trust and that my real hope the LORD is....not doctors, nurses or anyone else. I've been saying this verse over and over and it continues to bless, encourage and teach me. Patsy would tell you that she isn't a teacher. Oh really? I've usually taught her in our ladies Bible study, but on that day and this week, she taught me some things by reminding me of God's blessings and hope in tough times.

Ezra is a part of our spiritual heritage, a spiritual relative. His example is for us to look at ...prepare, take in God's Word, obey it and pass it along however God has gifted us to do it.

Lord Jesus, what a wonderful Teacher You were while here on earth and You continue teaching us through Your Word. Thank You for every word and concept You shared for us that we might know You more fully and walk in obedience to You without hesitation. We love you...Amen