Title Makes me obey you
Contents
1. Words that begin
I often hear people questioning how they can live a life that only obeys God's Word. This counter-question can be understood in three ways. As a finite member of the church, we have no ability to obey the infinite Word of God. Because we live with unbelievers, it is difficult and difficult to obey the Word of God. Even if you are a church member, it is natural to live according to your heart and will.
In any case, the phenomenon of following one's heart and will rather than obeying God's Word can be seen not only among lay people, but also among priests. We elect only one superintendent, presbytery, bishop, or general moderator, but don't the candidates who come out and their supporters all insist that they obey the will of God?
God who saved Israel, who repented and prayed for more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt, spoke about how to live as God's people in the promised land of Canaan.
2. God who makes obedience the way of a blessed life
Israel who received the grace of the Exodus and Christians who received the grace of salvation by believing in Jesus Christ are all God's people. As God's people, how should we live? In a word, it is obedience to the Word of God. In the first half of Leviticus 25:18, it says, “Walk ye my decrees, and keep my ordinances to do them.”
We should note that God did not say, 'You are already my people who have been saved, so you may do according to your will or your thoughts.' Even so, Israel thought that it was thanks to the idols of Egypt that Egypt became a prosperous and prosperous nation, so they followed the idolatry and customs and fell into slavery in Egypt.
I don't know what the guts of those who don't obey God's will or word, and do things on their own terms, even though they have experiences that they shouldn't plan and execute on their own. Like Pharaoh in Egypt, there are many people who have failed over and over again after flirting with God, who is in charge of life and death. Not obeying God, who is the source of all happiness, and doing what we want to do is a very serious problem because it destroys not only ourselves, but also our families, businesses, and the whole country.
Even if you are an expert, you cannot know everything in your field, and you cannot solve all the problems in your field. Therefore, we must seek the will and help of God, who is in charge of life and death.
A physician was treating a man with an unusually red face. The patient said to the doctor. “Sir, is it high blood pressure? I have a problem with my family.” When the doctor asked, “Is it the mother-in-law or the mother-in-law?”, the patient replied, “I think the cause is probably the wife-in-law.” The doctor laughed and said. “Of course, high blood pressure has a lot to do with genetics. But the in-laws have nothing to do with the teachers genetically.” The patient sighed and said. “Teacher, see my wife and family once. You'll get high blood pressure right away."
Pretending to know about a disease or treatment in front of a doctor who is an expert is not called ‘writing a text in front of Confucius’, isn’t it? As a joke, it is said to 'wrinkle in front of the pupa'. In Matthew 16:24, it is said to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow the Lord Jesus, but there are not a few church members who pretend to know about life in the world and life in the kingdom of heaven before the Lord Jesus. There are also not many.
It is beneficial to listen and obey in front of experts, and it is beneficial to observe and obey in front of the pupa. When we listen to and obey the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who provides such providence, our souls will prosper and we will receive and enjoy the blessings of prospering in all things.
In the second half of Leviticus 25:18 and below, it is said, “Then you will dwell in safety in the land, and the land will bring forth its produce, and you will eat to your fullness and dwell there safely. It means that if you follow the laws and ordinances of God, the Creator and the ruler of life and death, you will lead a blessed life both spiritually and physically. In a word, if you obey the word of God, you will be blessed.
First, if we obey, we will live safely in Canaan, the promised land that we conquered. God keeps us safe from external threats, takes care of our inner cares, worries, anxieties and fears, and sets the trap of sin so that we can overcome Satan's temptation to fall. God protects, protects, and accompanies those who believe and obey so that they are at peace externally, internally, and spiritually, so that there is no danger. You must not leave such a God, nor must you disobey Him.
Second, if we obey, the earth will produce its produce so that we can be satisfied. It means that everything you do in obedience to God's Word, including your livelihood and business, will go well and you will lead a prosperous life. In Deuteronomy 28:1 we read, “If you listen carefully to the word of the LORD your God, and keep and do all the commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you above all the nations of the world. If you obey the word of the LORD your God, All these blessings shall come upon you and be upon you; a blessing in the city and a blessing in the field; blessed shall be the offspring of your body, and the fruit of your land, and the offspring of your cattle and the offspring of your sheep; You will receive this blessing, and you will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.”
Since God, who is in control of life and death, provides for us, obedience is the most important way to gain benefits even in the world. In particular, the most important thing is obedience in view of being created as a being with growth potential. It is obedience, not the establishment of subjectivity. If you do not insist on your current self and obey your parents' words, your character will be formed properly. If you obey your teacher's teachings well, you will gain a lot of knowledge, and you will be able to excel in art or technology. A person who insists on the present self and his or her own, saying that there should be subjectivity, cannot grow and cannot acquire new things. For life, it is beneficial to obey the words of the parents who have lived long enough, and for special matters, it is beneficial to obey the words of the experts.
Therefore, the importance of obeying the Word of God, the source of all blessings, cannot be fully explained. On the other hand, the harms of disobeying God's Word or denying God cannot be fully explained. However, the people of the world follow their own opinions and stubbornness with all sorts of reasons and conditions, just like the people of the world and Christians just like the Christians. There are times when we do not receive the benefits or blessings we can get from this, and sometimes we suffer losses, but we do not even know that.
God made it possible for Israel to keep the sabbath year commandment well because they thought rationally instead of believing in faith. In the sabbatical year, that is, in the seventh year, if you can't sow a seed or reap the harvest, you'll be worried about what you will eat, but there's no need for that. The blessing of a bountiful harvest will be given in the sixth year, so that it will be used for three years, namely the sixth, seventh, and eighth years. It means that God is working to keep the commandment of the sabbatical year.
God not only requires obedience for a blessed life, but works so that we can obey. But why don't you know that? This is because a finite-headed human being engrossed in his egotism or self-centered thinking, sets forth reasons or conditions in which he cannot obey. The stronger the self-consciousness, the more difficult it is to obey, and the more you dedicate yourself to God, the easier it is to obey.
Steel King Andrew Carnegie is also a philanthropist. But he said, “I am not giving a single rusty money to a lazy person. Anyone who gives money to a beggar is ultimately encouraging the beggar's laziness.” "I've never seen anyone who spends money as well as you do," said American politician Ellie Ruoutt.
Asked by friends who admired Carnegie, who was sitting around him just before he died. “What is the secret to your successful life so far?” Then Carnegie replied: “I have been living a life of prayer every day. And I gave myself completely to God. As a result, mental conflict and anguish disappeared from me, and peace and power took hold of me.”
3. Conclusion
Not only the lay people, but also the clergy, there are those who do not obey the Word of God and follow their own heart and will. The ultimate purpose of all the words of God who governs life and death is not fulfillment of curiosity or enlightenment, but obedience. We have received the grace of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We must deny ourselves and obey God's Word for a blessed life like God's children and people in the kingdom of heaven. I hope that all of us believe in and obey God's work of obedience in spite of the reasons or conditions for not obeying, so that we can receive blessings and live a life of love according to God's will.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete Commentary on 27 New Testament Books/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/Paul’s Understanding of Man/ Prosperity Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermonbook 18. -3051)