1 Samuel 15:22
… Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...
Isaiah 1:19
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land…
1 John 3:22
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
I apologize for the jump off. Last week was the beginning of the last quarter in this volume of the Lesson Standard. The theme for this quarter is: God instructs His people. That’s you and I. Why do we need instruction? Because God’s way’s are higher than ours. When you visit a foreign country, for politeness sake, it’s important to observe, at least some of the customs of your hosts. However, if you are planning an extended stay or permanent relocation to that foreign locale, your survival may hinge on your ability to learn and apply the language and customs of the society you are becoming a part of. The same is true for the believer. When we believed, we became foreigners on two fronts: You’ve suddenly separated yourself spiritually from family, loved ones and acquaintances. You are no longer like them. Secondly, you are an alien, literally in a new ‘Kingdom’. In this new kingdom it is absolutely imperative that you align yourself with the leadership and direction of the King. You are either for Him or against Him. Therefore it is contingent that you listen, learn and apply yourself. Doesn’t that sound like good advice? Listen, Study, Learn and Apply. Throughout Scripture believers are exhorted to do exactly that.
Last week’s lesson: ‘God Keeps His Promises’ opened the quarter with the children of Israel finally coming to the land of promise after forty years in the wilderness. In that lesson, God shows Joshua the potential of His promises to Israel. The same is true for us today. When God reveals Himself, He reveals Himself, through Jesus, as the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The possibilities before us are limitless. God wants His people to prosper.
This week He begins to reveal how that will be accomplished: He will provide, but they must follow and obey.. in the moment! The Lesson Commentary I use give’s a wonderful illustration on this point in this week’s lesson. The segment uses the illustration of Military boot camp, the training period during the first few weeks of a new recruit. In boot camp, new recruits learn the importance of immediately obeying the commands and instructions of their commanders. After one recruit came home to visit after the completion of boot camp, his father asked him what he had learned, he replied he’d learned the meaning of the word ‘now’.
Why focus on the importance of ‘now’? Because God’s interaction with you is immediate and constant. He’s not on His way. He’s near you at all times. So near, He only need whisper, in that still small voice. His Word is near to you: in your mouth and in your heart. When he speaks, we as believers must be moved to obey in the ‘now’. In the moment, each moment, we must trust Him and demonstrate our trust by obedience. The Israelites learned this lesson the hard way. God had brought them to this very place forty years earlier and they missed their moment through hesitancy, unbelief and disobedience. Caleb and Joshua, because of their faith, were the only fighting men of Israel’s army to survive that episode and earn the opportunity to enter into their inheritance. The others died in the desert over that forty year period.
This time the instruction was be strong and very courageous. To trust the hand of the Lord, trust His love for them, His desire for their success. The same is true for us. We have to trust Him, trust that He loves us, cares for us, only wants the best for us, and will protect us and Bless us. The question is do we obey in the moment, reaching out and holding on to His unchanging hand? It’s a daily task for the believer: trusting, obeying, believing, growing through obedience into the confident, healthy, empowered Christian God wants us to become. I’m in. What about you?
Enjoy the lesson,
.wb
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