A buddy of my husband’s showed him this pic he found the other day. His had a funny comment added…something like this husband will never be allowed to help with Christmas lights again!
“…but the LORD your God forbids you to do such things.” Deuteronomy 18:14b (NLT)
No crude jokes here! 🙂 I put some of these cheesy but fun Christmas jokes in our family advent calendar this year. Hope you’re enjoying the season so far!
“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Ephesians 5:4 (ESV)
We’ve been talking a little bit lately about obedience to God—some of the whys, hows, warnings, and scripture resources (links to previous posts at the bottom). I think I’ve written more on obedience lately because I have a lot of that written in my journals (what I often reference when writing my posts). Since, I have a lot written in my journals, this probably means that God is really trying to get this point through my thick head!
If I’m being totally honest with you, I have to admit that I often struggle with obedience to God—at least immediate obedience. I tend to argue, push back, and fight a lot when God asks me to do something I don’t really want to do. You know…a lot like a toddler! Toddler Tracy, that’s me when it comes to obeying God! Does anyone else relate? I don’t know why I fight so much though because it ALWAYS works out better than I imagined in the end.
Unfortunately what it really boils down to is that I apparently don’t really trust God, and I’m definitely not demonstrating my love for him when I ignore him or am defiant. These were some painful convictions I recently had. I’ve learned through reading the bible and from some devotions/messages how our obedience to God proves that we love him and demonstrates our trust. Today I’d like to share some examples of those insights with you.
About 5 years ago, I read through Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional—it’s a year reading plan in the bible app (or Bible.com). It’s an excellent plan that I highly recommend. Several of the devotions throughout the plan focused on obedience to God. Below is one that stood out to me about today’s topic.
Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional, Day 320
“Today, the word obey has a negative connotation. We view obedience as a forced, unwilling decision to do something we don’t want to do because we’re afraid of punishment. But that’s not the kind of obedience that’s in God’s Word. Obedience in the Bible means this: love + trust + action.
It starts with love, as Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (NIV) Obedience comes from knowing that God loves you and you love him in return.
A lot of people think obedience is about fearing God, but God wants us to see obedience to him as a relationship of love. And out of love comes trust. If you trust what God is saying to you, and you believe that he loves you, then that will lead to action.
You need to have all three because action without love is just rote religion. And love without action is just mere talk.”[1]
What I wrote to myself this day…Don’t fight against God. Do you love God? Then keep his commandments—obey.
I KNOW God loves me, and I really do love God. So now I just need to turn this to trust, then to action.
You guys ready for some cheesy Christmas humor? …
Reindeer: “Why are Dasher and Dancer always taking coffee breaks?”
Santa: “Because they are my star bucks.”
“Here is my servant, whom I support. Here is my chosen one, with whom I am pleased…” Isaiah 42:1a (GW)
After all the mega shopping weekend hubbub of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday– there is “Giving Tuesday!” Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Giving Tuesday serves to remind all of us to be outwardly focused…to look to our communities and to those in need and donate towards helping them.
Amanda and her daughter
This year I’m partnering again with the Glory House ministry for Giving Tuesday. I have served with this ministry in a teaching and volunteer capacity for many years. I mentioned last week about how Glory House helps women rebuild stable foundations as they find hope, healing and direction in their lives. This week I’d like to share with you one of the hope-filled stories that happen every day at Glory House. Continue reading and watch a video to meet Amanda and learn about how God, and Glory House, have changed her life and how she’s building a better foundation for herself and her daughter!
I would also like to invite you to pray and consider giving a financial gift on this Giving Tuesday to help us raise the money needed for each of these women. Your gift will help women and their families transform their lives as they come from all over the United States to break free from drugs, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, and other life issues.
Please check out the Glory House Website and Facebook to learn more about what they do…
Amanda Higbee
A couple of years ago, Amanda came to Glory House addicted and struggling as a single mother. However, when God began to work in her life through Glory House, everything changed.
Amanda was adopted at just 12 days old by Paul and Dana Higbee. Like Paul and Dana’s other adopted children, Amanda was special to them. They raised her with the Word of God as a lifeline and set her on a path to success. Still, Amanda struggled with her identity and her desire to truly embrace God as a Father. This led to a life of seeking for an identity in drugs, immorality, and illegal activity. Like most people that abandon a relationship with God, she found herself hopeless.
When you find yourself alone at the lowest part of your life, you can be assured that God is still with you. Amanda also found that to be true.
Amanda, Dana, & Paul Higbee
That answer is not a “what” but a “who”. Jesus made a difference in Amanda and then she made an impact on the rest of her family. Thankfully, we get to be a part of the process. God chooses to work through each of us individually to bring hope, healing, and direction to people. This is why you are so important.
Glory House will invite 6-8 women into the program in 2019. Glory House takes on the responsibility of the women’s physical needs so that they can focus on the one thing they most need, a relationship with Jesus. During that time, they help them discover their identity in Christ, their God-given abilities, and most of all, their new found life in Christ.
Here is what it takes to impact 8 women at Glory House:
Approximate Total for 8 women monthly: $24,000
Approximate Total for 8 women annually: $288,000
Glory House is supported by people like you who pray, give of their time, and donate financially. Moreover, your generous donation doesn’t stop at Glory House. Your influence spreads from each woman into the families they impact. Those families help others and the impact continues. This is all made possible when you choose to make a difference.
When you partner with Glory House, you are giving women an opportunity for God to work healing in their lives. You can see lives changed and families restored just by generously donating your financial support.
Please help us raise the money needed for each of these women!
Tell your friends too! Giving Tuesday marks the beginning of our revenue campaign to see the lives of women in Tulsa changed by the power of God!
Please stop right now and say a quick prayer for…
-Provision–financial support and needs of the program
-Wisdom and guidance–for the leadership, staff, teachers, and volunteers
-Open and teachable hearts, transformation, and full restoration for the women in the program
-Grace, healing, and restoration for the families
-Continued progress, direction, favor, and success for the graduates of the program
Last week I put together a resource page with a list of helpful scriptures encouraging us to obey God. I mentioned that I would further discuss obedience to God and how it’s like a sturdy foundation on which to build a house/building. That’s what I’d like to discuss today. We’ll see how the Bible compares our obedience to building on stable foundations. Additionally, we’ll look at some of the purposes for a good foundation.
Learning to obey God creates and builds a stable and firm foundation on which we can build our life. A sturdy foundation in our lives will also help us to withstand the storms that may come in our lives.
My family likes to watch the television show Survivor. This season on Survivor a cyclone hit the island on which they were staying forcing them to evacuate one evening. They returned to find that their shelter, which had been built on sand (important point), had been torn to shreds. You can imagine how disheartening this was for them. This scene immediately brought to mind the scriptures in the Bible that address building on different types of foundations.
When we listen and obey, it’s like building a house on a solid, firm foundation. It can be trusted, unlike a house built on shifting sand or without a foundation. Disobedience is like building a house on an untrustworthy foundation.
“So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!” Matthew 7:24-29 (GNT)
“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” Luke 6:46-49 (NLT)
The struggle is real guys… I walk around like everything is fine, but deep down, inside my shoe, my sock is sliding off.
“Like animals going down into a valley…” Isaiah 63:14a (GW)
Anybody else find it hard to obey God’s directions at times? Previously, I’ve written a couple of posts on how to obey God via steps of incremental obedience and on how we need to learn to obey God without a “leash”. Subsequent posts will further discuss obedience to God and how it’s like a sturdy foundation on which to build a house, how obedience proves that we love and trust God, and how obedience provides rewards. Today I’ve put together a resource page with a list of helpful scriptures encouraging us to obey God.
“He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.” Exodus 15:26 (NLT)
“Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.” Exodus 19:5 (NLT)
“Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.” Exodus 23:21-22 (NLT)
“Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the LORD your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (NLT)
Blessings of Obedience: Deuteronomy 11:1-32
“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God…” Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (NLT)
Blessings for Obedience: Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Curses for Disobedience: Deuteronomy 28:15-68 Continue reading
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