Barnabas Bulletin ~ 0162
OBEDIENCE ~ THE KEY!
There are so many voices in the world, as well as in the Christian Church today. It is therefore very important that we know which voice to give heed to, to give the most priority to. That voice is the voice of Jesus Christ.
- His voice is the voice of truth, and carries the keys to life.
- His voice supersedes every other voice we will ever hear!
In Matthew 7:24-29 and Luke 6:47-49 Jesus summed up His teachings of the Sermon on the Mount by saying that we need to put into practice what He teaches us.
- Doing what Jesus taught ~ and teaches us ~ is the difference between success and failure in this life.
- No other voice is as clear as this.
- Do you know the voice of Jesus Christ? (please read John 10).
- Do you know when He is speaking to you?
In these verses of Scripture we see that Jesus spoke and revealed to us that we not only need to hear what He says, but that we need to DO what He says! Both the wise man and the foolish man heard what Jesus said. They heard exactly the same words from the mouth of Jesus Christ! Yet their lives finished up exactly the opposite to one another ~ one a success and the other a miserable failure. The difference was that the wise man heeded what Jesus said and demonstrated his belief of Jesus by committing his life and decisions based on the word of Jesus. It meant he had to “dig deep” and build his house on a solid foundation of the rock. Doing what Jesus said enabled him to withstand all the storms of life that come against us all from time to time. No one escapes the storms of life ~ those trials and testing’s that come against us in this life!
- The difference between only hearing ~ and hearing and doing ~ is so huge that we cannot afford not to be obedient to the voice of Jesus Christ!
Consider these words: “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering into His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the Gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:1-2).
The foolish man thought he knew better and built according to his own plans (he did not mix faith and obedience to the words of Jesus). He obviously built a nice house, but because he had not dug deep and built on the rock ~ but rather the sand ~ when the storms of life hit him, his house crumbled and fell. He lost everything! It is not the beauty of the finished house that determines our life, future and success ~ but the foundation upon which we build.
- That foundation is only JESUS CHRIST’S WORDS HEARD AND OBEYED!
Every person stands as an individual before God in this life and will be judged according to what we do with what Jesus has spoken. Know for sure that living in obedience to the words of Jesus takes vision and discipline: vision because we have to see the truth and impact of what Jesus says to us enough to act upon what He says before we see the end results. Discipline because there are few people who really do encourage us in these days to pursue the words of Jesus Christ in the way the Bible tells us to. It cannot be emphasized enough: our lives stand or fall upon what we do with what we hear from Jesus Christ!
- Will your foundation hold you up against the storms of life?
- It will if it is built upon what Jesus has said ~ and you being obedient to His words.
If we really want to be a success in life, then Jesus gives us the key to that: LISTEN TO AND OBEY WHAT HE SAYS! It is as simple as that. Because we live in an anti-Christ world, the many other lesser voices will try and tell us that Jesus’ words are not relevant for today, etc., that we should listen to our own mind, etc., not realizing that the natural mind puts us at enmity against God. The natural mind does not receive the things that be of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2). Christianity is a totally different way of life to every other belief system. If we listen but do not obey, then we become religious. But when we listen to, and obey, what Jesus says, then we step into a realm where God watches over us and He protects us in the storms of life. Our obedience brings us into a partnership with Jesus, and when Jesus is working for us, no man, storm, power or devil can defeat us. Hallelujah! We are “more than conquerors through Jesus Who loves us” (Romans 8:37).
We all want to be successful today. Be encouraged to listen to the voice of Jesus Christ in these times, with a determination to put into practice what He says to you. If we really believe what He says in His Word, then we cannot afford not to obey what He teaches us. Rise up and build your life upon the Rock, Christ Jesus. Success is assured when we do that ~ Rodney W. Francis.
Bible Readings: Matthew 7:24-29 Luke 6:47-49
Prayer: “Dear Lord God, I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, and I ask You to help me to yield myself more to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. I ask You to help me to see the benefits of the Prophetic Ministry to more clearly know Your will for my life. May I have a much bigger believing heart so that I can earnestly desire and persevere more, and demonstrate my faith and belief in You much more positively. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry, New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.