Josh 22:1-5
22:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
4 And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.
5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Iway annotcay eakspay igpay atinlay
I’m not kidding, I cannot speak pig latin.
The comedian, Bill Cosby said one time that the word “obey” was a fun word to say. He said it sounded like a pig latin word, “O-Bey”. He then went into a hilarious routine about the disobedience of his children.
The word “obey” is in the Bible 69 times. This does not include the other forms of the word such as “obedience”, etc. Obedience is very important in the structure of the Kingdom of God. It is, actually, a vital fiber in the well-woven fabric of every part of our lives. Obedience is important in the familial structure, in our public social order, & so forth, & so on. Obedience is inevitable. A person may say they do not believe in living a life of obedience. They may purport to be a free-spirit and thus they choose to not obey society’s rules. But they are still yet obedient. They are obedient to the rules of the “free-spirit”, which says, “Do not conform”. They are not obeying the rules of a certain aspect of society, but they are obedient all the same, just to a different set of rules! Romans 6:12 refers to sin that reigns in our bodies and how we may find ourselves obeying its evil desires. Oh, yes. We all obey, and we choose which rules we obey.
Throughout the Old Testament you’ll see the act of a sacrifice to be vital to God’s relationship with humanity. And yet, as important as a sacrifice is to God, his word says that obedience is better than sacrifice. (We obviously do not offer the blood of animals today, but we offer the sacrifice of praise!) The Bible tells us over & over to “obey the voice” of God. In general we do not have a problem with the concept of obeying the voice of God. (Unless we happen to be closely associated with Psychiatrists, then we’re concerned about ANY voices we may hear!) But in general, Christians have no problem with this foundational belief. It’s the other instructions of obedience that our society & sometimes even our own flesh struggle with. But the Bible instructs us to:
Obey the commandments of the Lord, (Deuteronomy 11:27)
Obey the truth (Romans 2:8)
Obey your parents (Ephesians 6:1)
Obey your employer (Colossians 3:22)
Obey the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
Obey the written instruction of the Apostles (2 Thessalonians 3:14)
Obey government officials & the laws of the land (Titus 3:1)
Obey your spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:17)
That’s a lot of pig latin: Obey! Obey! Obey!
The older we get, the harder obedience is! The definition is simple: to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions.
It also means, to submit or conform in action to.
Simple, but hard… And quite necessary.
Do you know what the antonym of obedience is? Rebellion. And unfortunately, 1 Sam 15:23, lets us know just how strongly God feels about rebellion, “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. “ (Yikes!)
If we’re going to be blessed by God for our obedience, we’re going to have to take note of something important in our opening passage of scripture (Josh 22:1-5). These people were blessed not simply for their obedience to God, but because they had also obeyed both Moses AND Joshua. Obedience is a purposeful behavior that we conform to and God blesses us for doing so. There is no grey area with God. He blesses obedience & curses rebellion.
It may seem easier to learn to speak pig latin than to actually obey the authority figures God has placed in our lives; from our pastor, to our boss, to whoever else there may be. Whether you understand Pig-latten, or not, choose to “O-bey”.
essingblay omescay omfray obedienceway
Oh, forget it! I’m trying to say, “Blessing comes from obedience!”
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Unity Equals Behavior
Eph 4:1-3
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Listen to these 5 scenarios & answer these questions to discover your own level in “unity” within your local church.
1. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to a state park. You’re not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
2. Your pastor is pulling on the congregation for more demonstrative worship; do you join the others in the aisle, or up front, or decide God knows the sincerity of your heart & remain worshipping at your seat?
3. You are a member of the outreach team and you’re going with them to pass out tracts in the park, do you ride with the group in the van, or take your own vehicle?
4. A leader in the pulpit has just announced something that causes a big bulk of people to show excitement by clapping, shouting, some are even standing; do you join the raucous even though you have no idea why they’re so happy, or do you sit back, staring in shock at all the crazy loons?
5. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to ANOTHER state park. You’re STILL not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
If you are like me, you answered that you prefer to stay home, that God knows the sincerity of your heart, that your own vehicle is, in fact, a gift from God, and the crazy people acting all excited about, God knows what, can sure keep up the show, its entertaining! And you’re STILL allergic to nature, and the leader KNOWS you prefer AC, & tile… Come on!
I didn’t say I DID those things, I said its what I preferred. It is truly the opinion & thoughts that run through my head. As a matter of fact, the older I get the more I want my own way… But by being in a leadership position at my church I see the affect my desired behavior would have on a group, and I really feel the burn particularly when I am not the decision-maker of the group.
When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus it was not happenstance that he used the word, “Endeavor” in connection with the word, “unity”.
Dictionary.com tells me that “Endeavor” means:
1. to exert oneself to do or effect something; make an effort; strive.
2. to attempt; try
3. a strenuous effort
When I see people cheering in a sports arena, there doesn’t seem to be any “exerting” going on, or “strenuous effort”. Team spirit seems so easy! But… Oh, yeah. I forgot that cheerleaders exist for a reason. Even game attendees need a little reminding to get their act “together”. You see, there is no “spirit of unity” until there is a BEHAVIOR of unity. You may smile with pride when someone says, “Your church has so much unity!” But if YOU, PERSONALLY have not been exhibiting a pattern of behavior consistent with unity, that compliment does not belong to you, neither can you soothe your conscience because you’re a “member” of said unified congregation.
Believe me when I say “I know the feeling…” I’d like to tell you how much I dislike riding with a group on a bus or van, but I’m not gonna take the time. I don’t even like carpooling with anyone but my family! Why? Because I feel the need to have the freedom to choose the restaurant that better suits my diet instead of some of the greasy spoons the group prefers. On & on I could go telling you my preferences that seem so out of tune with the group’s plan. But personal preference is NOT what unity built on. Unity is ALL about the opposite of “me & my needs”. The foundation of unity is described in verse 2 as being “lowly”, “meek”, and “longsuffering”. To really be “in unity” requires SERIOUS selflessness.
The real irritating part about unity for me is not being able to fully understand how it all works. Really, how can something like riding in the same vehicle be unity? Why does it matter? Why does it matter if I join in a cheer that I know nothing about? So, I’ve come to this conclusion; I can’t pinpoint exactly HOW it matters, I just know that somehow it does. And furthermore, the end result is worth the selfless acts of unifying myself. Because even though with my limited brainpower I don’t understand HOW it works, I know that the memories made on those trips when I’d preferred a different restaurant but chose to bite the bullet & ride on the bus are lifelong memories that outweigh what I was feeling at the time. Furthermore I feel a closeness & bond with those people because of the experience. I know that the times I’ve jumped up with the rest of the church clapping and howling in complete ignorance was actually fun and I found out later what I was cheering about! The end result of unity is always rewarding & even spiritually powerful!
Look at some examples in the Bible of stories showing how unity brought either rewarding or tragic results:
In Gen. 11:6, even God determined that HE HIMSELF could not stop a unified people from building a tower.
Because the 10 spies were so unified in their DOUBT God could not bring the children of Israel into their promised land, Numbers 13:32.
A jail with guards could not hold a unified Paul & Silas in Acts 16:26.
A starving Israel was saved by the unity of Jonathan & his armor bearer in 1 Sam. 14:6, 13.
Nothing of real substance can be done without unity. Your pastor needs you to unify. Your department needs you to unify. Your God needs you to unify. And don’t kid yourself, Unity equals behavior.
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Listen to these 5 scenarios & answer these questions to discover your own level in “unity” within your local church.
1. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to a state park. You’re not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
2. Your pastor is pulling on the congregation for more demonstrative worship; do you join the others in the aisle, or up front, or decide God knows the sincerity of your heart & remain worshipping at your seat?
3. You are a member of the outreach team and you’re going with them to pass out tracts in the park, do you ride with the group in the van, or take your own vehicle?
4. A leader in the pulpit has just announced something that causes a big bulk of people to show excitement by clapping, shouting, some are even standing; do you join the raucous even though you have no idea why they’re so happy, or do you sit back, staring in shock at all the crazy loons?
5. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to ANOTHER state park. You’re STILL not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
If you are like me, you answered that you prefer to stay home, that God knows the sincerity of your heart, that your own vehicle is, in fact, a gift from God, and the crazy people acting all excited about, God knows what, can sure keep up the show, its entertaining! And you’re STILL allergic to nature, and the leader KNOWS you prefer AC, & tile… Come on!
I didn’t say I DID those things, I said its what I preferred. It is truly the opinion & thoughts that run through my head. As a matter of fact, the older I get the more I want my own way… But by being in a leadership position at my church I see the affect my desired behavior would have on a group, and I really feel the burn particularly when I am not the decision-maker of the group.
When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus it was not happenstance that he used the word, “Endeavor” in connection with the word, “unity”.
Dictionary.com tells me that “Endeavor” means:
1. to exert oneself to do or effect something; make an effort; strive.
2. to attempt; try
3. a strenuous effort
When I see people cheering in a sports arena, there doesn’t seem to be any “exerting” going on, or “strenuous effort”. Team spirit seems so easy! But… Oh, yeah. I forgot that cheerleaders exist for a reason. Even game attendees need a little reminding to get their act “together”. You see, there is no “spirit of unity” until there is a BEHAVIOR of unity. You may smile with pride when someone says, “Your church has so much unity!” But if YOU, PERSONALLY have not been exhibiting a pattern of behavior consistent with unity, that compliment does not belong to you, neither can you soothe your conscience because you’re a “member” of said unified congregation.
Believe me when I say “I know the feeling…” I’d like to tell you how much I dislike riding with a group on a bus or van, but I’m not gonna take the time. I don’t even like carpooling with anyone but my family! Why? Because I feel the need to have the freedom to choose the restaurant that better suits my diet instead of some of the greasy spoons the group prefers. On & on I could go telling you my preferences that seem so out of tune with the group’s plan. But personal preference is NOT what unity built on. Unity is ALL about the opposite of “me & my needs”. The foundation of unity is described in verse 2 as being “lowly”, “meek”, and “longsuffering”. To really be “in unity” requires SERIOUS selflessness.
The real irritating part about unity for me is not being able to fully understand how it all works. Really, how can something like riding in the same vehicle be unity? Why does it matter? Why does it matter if I join in a cheer that I know nothing about? So, I’ve come to this conclusion; I can’t pinpoint exactly HOW it matters, I just know that somehow it does. And furthermore, the end result is worth the selfless acts of unifying myself. Because even though with my limited brainpower I don’t understand HOW it works, I know that the memories made on those trips when I’d preferred a different restaurant but chose to bite the bullet & ride on the bus are lifelong memories that outweigh what I was feeling at the time. Furthermore I feel a closeness & bond with those people because of the experience. I know that the times I’ve jumped up with the rest of the church clapping and howling in complete ignorance was actually fun and I found out later what I was cheering about! The end result of unity is always rewarding & even spiritually powerful!
Look at some examples in the Bible of stories showing how unity brought either rewarding or tragic results:
In Gen. 11:6, even God determined that HE HIMSELF could not stop a unified people from building a tower.
Because the 10 spies were so unified in their DOUBT God could not bring the children of Israel into their promised land, Numbers 13:32.
A jail with guards could not hold a unified Paul & Silas in Acts 16:26.
A starving Israel was saved by the unity of Jonathan & his armor bearer in 1 Sam. 14:6, 13.
Nothing of real substance can be done without unity. Your pastor needs you to unify. Your department needs you to unify. Your God needs you to unify. And don’t kid yourself, Unity equals behavior.
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
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