Category: Obedience

Perfection as a Pursuit

My desire for you to do My will is not due to My authority, but due to My great love for you.

Meditation Thought: “…the Lord disciplines the one he loves… he disciplines us for our good.” (Hebrews 12:6, 10)

“You are not perfect – not a perfect expression of my character. Therefore, I must help you in the necessary changes to move you more closely to perfection, since you desire this as your highest priority. Sometimes the necessary discipline – much of which is merely the effect from what you have caused – is unpleasant. Bear it in good grace for it will soon pass as you understand and move ahead in a more perfect obedience.

My desire for you to do My will is not due to My authority, but due to My great love for you. I have vast resources of wisdom, knowledge and power which I desire you to benefit from, but you must do your part to release them in your life – you must use your mind to learn the Word, your faith to believe the promises, your spirit to comprehend the Word and the promises, and your emotions to draw the surge of power. To do all of these you need discipline to forgo other pursuits that you may have time and energy for these.

Light your way with love.
Walk your way in peace.
Enhance your way with kindness.

Thus did Christ go His Way.
There is a secret to it:
Perceiving the will of the Father – and doing it.
This is ‘discipline’.
It is not a matter of punishment,
But a matter of practicality.
Allow this thought to penetrate,
To change your attitude.

Be glad to know,
And willing to do.
Your joy and fulfillment
Come not in leisure,
But in movement:
Dynamic, exciting ever-unfolding revelations
Brought forth through discipline –
The commitment of self
To that which is True and Good
Never wavering,
But steadied by Christ
Living in your heart,
Demonstrating and nurturing.
Discipline’ becomes a friend,
the helper, the accomplisher.
It is precisely the Way
Christ brought salvation.
It is the Way
To the Kingdom.
There is no other Way for you
to find contentment.
Whether you wish it so,
Or wish it not,
This is the Truth.
To know the Truth
Is to be free.”

Moving Mountains

Ask in wisdom and hope.

Meditation Thought: “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:22-24)

When you ask “in prayer” you are asking properly – you are recognizing God as authority, God as loving, God as powerful. You are led to seek God’s will – and God’s way, because to ask “in prayer” is to ask in the wisdom of the Spirit, and the hope of God’s promises.

It is on thing to demand a desire as a spoiled, petulant child, and another thing to request the granting of a desire in an attitude of a simple request to a loving Father, willing to accept His decision graciously, recognizing that His experience gives Him better long-term judgment of what is best.

 

Power Released

Do not thwart the power of the Spirit by blocking it with guilt, unbelief, laziness or apathy.

Meditation Thought: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.'” (Isaiah 56:1)

“As a baby must grow and mature in order to comprehend who he is as a person, and who his parents are as his nurturers, so must a believer grow and mature to know who he is as an offspring of My Spirit, and who I am as the nurturer of his being.

Babies are inclined to get into all kinds of predicaments as they search for knowledge of the world and of themselves. Only the devotion of the parent keeps them from harm – or rescues them from their position of danger.

As the child grows, the more he is able to comprehend the love and devotion of the parent, the more he can understand the parent’s actions – even the actions which are not to his liking, such as denial of some of the child’s desires and discipline for wrong-doing, then the more he can accept these with calmness and a lack of rebellion. In understanding and cooperating with the parent, the child creates a climate – a relationship – which enhances his maturity and furthers his growth into the character that is pleasing to both the parent and himself. With such a character, providing the parent is wise and knowledgeable, the child has what he needs to cope with all conditions he will meet in his life.

Be a perceptive believer – a perceptive child of Mine. I will teach you the wisdom and knowledge which will enable you to cope with all conditions you will meet. I will not do this all ahead of time, however. You must trust me to know what to reveal to you before you have need for it and what to reveal in the urgency of the moment.

You can remove fear and doubt from your life by trusting me, by believing in Me and believing the communications which I give you. If you will start to base all of your decisions on the premise that I am your loving Father, actively guiding you into maturity and growth which will move you closer and closer to developing character which is like My character, you will release the power of the Spirit in your life as I have intended, and as Jesus demonstrated.

Truly accept My forgiveness of all that you have done which was not perfect in your sight or Mine – as you forgive your children. Do not thwart the power of the Spirit by blocking it with guilt, unbelief, laziness or apathy.

Only as you believe in me, only as you trust me, only as you obey me, will you be free from fear and doubt, and find peace and fulfillment – wherever you are, whatever the circumstances may be, and whatever you are called upon to do.”

Everlasting Light

Only when we seek through a lessening of our diligence to wander into the night are we subject to the fears and terrors of the night.

Meditation Thought: “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.  So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6)

Being children of the day, it is easy for us to be awake, alert. Only when we seek through a lessening of our diligence to wander into the night are we subject to the fears and terrors of the night.

When we keep the light of the Word firmly in our mind, the joy of the Spirit firmly caught within our heart, the ministerings to the world a habit of our body, then we are free from fear – at least we are free from paralyzing fear. We are confident because we can see through the Spirit the truth, and call upon the power of the Spirit to deal with that truth for us.

We need one thing: faith that the Spirit dwells within and is desirous of keeping us in the light.

Freedom from Fear; Joy Released

You are free of that you feared.

Meditation Thought: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.” (Colossians 1:21-23)

Little child, do you tremble because you have done wrong and you fear the consequences? You would undo what you did – but you cannot… you shrink from the future, knowing the past makes it unattractive.

And then, One comes before you, taking the consequences, intervening on your behalf, deflecting the pain you were sure would come. You are free of that you feared.

The relief! A chance to start anew! Will you thank the One who rescued you? Will you share the good news that there is an Intermediary who will arrange pardon for your sentence?

Will you have faith, believe that your Friend is true to you, and desires above all else to help you discover life’s purpose and joy?

Will you come into intimate fellowship with this Person who reveals to you your Father and His love, who brings light to remove the fears and the stumbling that exist in darkness?

If you choose, by faith in His Word, by pleasing to do His will – He who is the Image of the Father, for He is One with the Father – to conform yourself to His personality and teachings, then are you the expression of the Father on earth, with the dross of self-will and evil removed from you by the sacrifice of your Friend’s pain substituted for your pain: your appreciation of His stepping in to take the consequences of your unwise choices is the healing of His pain, the releasing of joy in His heart!

Trough and Crest

This moment is yours – and this moment is Mine: weld our moments together.

Meditation Thought: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Ebb and flow. You have a fascination for moving water. It is a symbol of life itself. Be content when you are in the trough or on the crest, for both places are necessary for life: for your life.

In the trough you learn to trust without proof: this is faith, you learn to be obedient – this is discipline to make you sturdy and steady to withstand the low places, and to keep you thankful and not prideful in the high places. On the crest you feel grace and blessings which open your heart to the fullness of joy of My love; it is easy for your expression of love to overflow onto those in the trough near to your crest.

This moment is yours – and this moment is Mine: weld our moments together that they may be expressions of both spirit and flesh which expand love, reconcile that which is separated, heal that which is hurt, bring order to chaos, bring relief to the suffering, bring peace to the broken-hearted, bring hope where there is despair, bring forth fruit where there was no sign of life in the branch.

The way is not easy – but the rewards are great, for joy, peace and hope along this way depend not upon circumstances, or others’ treatment of you – but upon our moments welded together as one moment spanning heaven and earth: the Holy Spirit reaching from Mind to mind, Love to love, Spirit to spirit.

You know the way – the way of the cross: obedient, humble, selfless, loving, grateful for all blessings and guidance wherever it leads, knowing who has the world beyond death, into resurrection.

With eyes of faith
And tongue of love
Hands to comfort
And feet to move
Where’re I bid you go
Not one place
Shall you abide
Away from Love and Hope.
This moment, be it trough or crest,
Is triumph over all.

Kingdom Hope; Kingdom Joy

When we comprehend this, our whole perspective on life changes: we have hope even in the seemingly hopeless situations.

Meditation Thought: “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)

Although this sounds a bit strange, it does not take a great deal of thought to realize that Jesus is saying that those who do God’s will are bonded by being God’s children.

It is when we plod along, trying to perceive God’s will and attempting to do it, that we begin to perceive that some power beyond ourselves is truly at work!

When we comprehend this, our whole perspective on life changes: we have hope even in the seemingly hopeless situations.

When we have hope, we can more easily energize ourselves to take the effort to bring good results – and, frequently, with God’s guidance, we accomplish acts that actually astonish us.

If we know about some of these results, how many results are somewhere in the world we do not recognize? This is the reason we need to seek God’s will and to do it to the best of our ability! How else can the joys of the kingdom be spread across the world?

Hearing Aid

We need to be expecting to hear God at any moment – at every moment.

Meditation Thought: “The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” (Psalm 29:4)

Some kinds of waves can penetrate some materials, but not others – there are sound waves, light waves, infrared rays, etc. – but the only ‘wave’ that can penetrate any place at any time is God’s voice: of instruction, of help, of hope, of love, of power.

When we are expecting to hear a voice, we are more likely to hear it when it comes. We need to be expecting to hear God at any moment – at every moment. Then the “still, small voice” is amplified so that it becomes clear and incisive and penetrating, enabling us to know that God’s will is for us at that moment.

Big Brother

…my big brother Jesus would know what to do in this situation. Let me check with Him and I know then I’ll be taking the right action.

Meditation Thought: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50)

“I’m a relative of Jesus” – what a statement to be able to make! Of all the name-dropping, that has to be the ultimate statement. And, yet it is true – as we, through faith in Jesus as Savior, accept our Father as our guide, our Creator, our loving, indulgent parent, and we obey Him as such, we are born into His Kingdom and His family just as surely as we are physically born into this world. And His Son is surely part of His family!

Maybe we should think more in terms of making decisions, going through a process such as saying to ourselves: “Well, now, my big brother Jesus would know what to do in this situation. Let me check with Him and I know then I’ll be taking the right action.”

The heavens rejoice at the expansion and maturing of the family of God. It is enough to know that this is so; we do not need to know why it is so. We rejoice because our Father rejoices as He delights in our obedience. Our delight and joy become contagious to one another; we want to continue this happy time, this happy relationship. There is only one way to do  it – we must do as our Father requests – in a manner of trust, pleasure, reliance and eagerness, as well as performing as competently as we are able.

Believing is Seeing

When it becomes a reality, it is My Kingdom on earth .

Meditation Thought: “Whoever… does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” (Mark 11:23)

“Seeing is believing – but believing is also seeing. Keep this phrase in mind as we work together. You need a positive, trusting attitude to complete your work to My satisfaction. This is not natural for you – but it is natural for Me and therefore, you must adapt, and adopt it as your own.

Concentrate on seeing in your mind what I want you to accomplish as a completed task. The vision is only a dream until it becomes a reality; when it becomes a reality, it is My Kingdom on earth – My promise fulfilled and fulfilling – mercy, resurrection, triumphant order of life as experienced by the Body of believers. The life encompasses many experiences but all are only different expressions of the one theme.

Once you accept this, it easier to understand your journey and the understanding produces an accepting heart. The accepting heart throbs with the joy of knowing the outcome will be triumphant which raises the energy level to new heights, bringing the triumph all the sooner.

Will you choose this way? If so, you must commit yourself completely, enthusiastically, happily and whole-heartedly.