CHOICE

Today’s Scripture    (Nice Thought came across my desk this morning: )  6/26/18
“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession…”  (Exodus 19:5, NIV)

Obedience
Sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make sense. It doesn’t seem logical. It doesn’t fit into our budget. It doesn’t line up with our schedule. “God, You want me to go back to college? I’m 40 years old.” “God, You want me to give them a gift? I was saving those funds for my own dreams.” Or, “God, You want me to leave this secure position that I’ve had for years and start my own business?” Too often we over analyze it. We debate it; look at it only in the natural. We end up making excuses, talking ourselves out of it, “That couldn’t be God.” But if you’re going to reach your highest potential, you have to have bold obedience. That means you obey even when you don’t understand it. You just do it even when it doesn’t make sense. That’s what faith is all about.

If you can understand everything and have the time, the money and it’s all lined up, then that doesn’t really take any faith. God will ask you to do things that seem far out, unusual, not practical. With every act of obedience, there is a blessing attached to it. When you do what you know God wants you to do, a blessing will follow. God rewards obedience!

A Prayer for Today
“Father, today I choose to obey You. I let go of trying to reason it all out in my mind and choose to trust You. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for rewarding my obedience in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

My notes:
It seems to me that the importance of this message in not only Obedience but also Knowing what GOD is asking us to do?   I often think of Abraham being so very sure that GOD had ask him to sacrifice his only son who had also had a supernatural birth.   How did Abraham really know that it was GOD talking to his heart of hearts?

When I talk to GOD (Prayer) which is a lot of the time, that I first have to filter out the other voices in my mind, some demonic.    And what others have said to me in my related memories.   And my own voice of rationality and then finally perhaps, way down deep in the quietness and stillness of my soul I just might hear GOD’s loving and kind voice of truth.  I am learning that HIS voice in my soul is found in a place of quietness where I choose to shut down every other voice.  And when I do get the right connection he is never in a hurry or is short on words and always has consideration of my space in HIS great love for me.  And I wonder how HE can be that way with every other soul on planet earth but then,  HE IS GOD and holds my atoms together by the word of HIS power.  He has my hair counted (much simpler these days) and has the Universe totally under control to do HIS bidding along with every national leader.  So it is not easy but can be done to hear and talk to GOD but it is not easy shutting everything else out. 

So Abraham must have totally mastered filtering out the world to know the voice of GOD that well.   So well that he was willing to build an alter,  place the kindling on the alter,  tie up his only son and raise the knife before he was stopped and found the ram sacrifice provided by GOD in the thicket.   My thoughts are that GOD already knew what Abraham would do but that Abraham needed to know, in fact, as well, what he would do.  And thus Abraham became the father of faith in the Bible.  So first we learn to have faith,  then we find God’s will for sure and then we come into obedience as above.  And fight our carnal nature all the way.  We must be patient in seeking, asking and knocking on HIS Door but when we do our homework HE is always at HOME….

Of course the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life will try to keep you so busy that you don’t have time for this eternal exercise.

Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy,   Ken<><    www.Trinity-Aloha.org