“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46, NKJ)
Hearing and doing become the rhythm of the believer’s walk with God. To come to the point where you can call God “Lord” (in Greek: “supreme authority”), means that you need to do what He says. In a previous teaching it was shown that faith comes through hearing the Word of God. When there is a direct instruction in Scripture you must not wait for confirmation before you are obedient. Heb 4:2 states it like this: “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.” You must immediately join that which you hear from Scripture with faith (because He said it) and just do it.
There are two lovely examples of this concerning baptism. Paul heard God’s call and he asked without hesitation: “Lord, what do you want me to do?” (Acts 9:6). He was immediately willing to be obedient. Through his obedience a whole spiritual dynamic came in place. Verse 18: “Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.”
In Acts 8 we read about the Ethiopian man who sat on his chariot reading Isaiah 53. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading and he answered: “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (verse 31). Philip then began to explain the Scripture to him and told him about the gospel of Jesus. Verse 36 tells what happened next: “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’” He heard and was obedient right away.
Our nature is not to be willingly obedient – it requires an active decision of the will. Even Christ was not always obedient – Heb 5:8 says: “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered”. If you are not obedient, then you often need to suffer in order to learn obedience. But “He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (verse 9). Therefore: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22).
- Sela: Ask the Lord what you are still disobedient in. And become eager to be obedient.
- Read: Gen 22: Ps 22; 1 John 1
- Memorise: 1 John 1:9
