Obedience Today Equals Joy and Strength Tomorrow…
Good Morning!
Last week we discovered that our courage today, also known as “faith in action,” is one of the Bible’s secrets to our joy and strength tomorrow. Let us now take a look at the Bible’s second secret...
It’s obedience!
Yes, obedience today also equals joy and strength tomorrow.
Obedience can be so very hard because it is not intuitive. It bumps right up against our pride, egos, intelligence and strong will. Obedience seeks to tame our flesh and to get us to die to self. It equates to much less of us and to way more of God. In essence, true obedience empties us of ourselves and tests our commitment and allegiance to God and His ways.
As we return to the examples of Moses and Joshua, we see great biblical leaders who put their faith in action, choosing courage. However, they also obeyed God as servant leaders. While Joshua was far more compliant with God’s commands, Moses ultimately submitted, too, because resisting God repeatedly led Moses to tremendous pain and suffering - the exact opposites of joy and strength! Only when Moses obeyed God did he grow stronger and gain a joyful sense of God’s will. (Please see the Book of Exodus for this detailed account.)
Isn’t the very same lesson true for us, friends? When we finally stop fighting God and His precepts, He becomes an increasingly greater Force in our lives as well. And we are rewarded with an abundant joy and strength beyond our comprehension and circumstances. We actually end up finding joy in obedience, just as the Bible promises...
“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving JOY to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
Psalm 19:8
Friends, I truly believe that the only part of God that we can understand is the part that we choose to have faith in and to obey. The Father reveals Himself and His plans to us strictly as we surrender to courage and obedience today. And in return, since His plans for us are always good, we are blessed with joy and strength tomorrow.
Let us never forget the secrets to success from our really good Father...
Courage Today + Obedience Today =
Joy and Strength Tomorrow...