The Urgency of Obedience
By Mark Larson
www.cvillechurch.com
Most everyone claims to be extremely busy today. Matters in which we consider "urgent" and "important" consume a lot of our time in life. Yet, regrettably, our obedience to God is oftentimes viewed as important, but not urgent. As a result, other matters in life are given more importance than they deserve, even above our spiritual needs and duties. To determine what is most important in life, we must go to God's word. Once we learn to put that which is most important first, we will learn to also regard spiritual matters as urgent.
Consider the many demands in life that we consider both urgent and important: Daily meals - Everyday, we must eat food to sustain our strength and health. Hunger comes everyday and therefore preparing meals is a continual, urgent matter, a pressing necessity that cannot be delayed for too long. Medical emergencies - When sickness strikes either ourselves or our family members, we have to take action fairly quickly to nurse ourselves back to health (especially small children). When there is a major illness or injury, it is an urgent matter to seek medical attention immediately. Duties related to work and school - Pressure is placed upon us by our employer to be on time and get the job done. We are compelled to work in order to provide for our families. Young people must attend school and come on time. Homework, tests, and deadlines are given which must be met to succeed. A mechanical failure at work or at home that must be fixed promptly - If machinery breaks down or the computer crashes, repair is often an urgent matter in order to fulfill the day's work agenda. If at home we have trouble with our plumbing, electrical system, heating and cooling, stove refrigerator, etc. it must be taken care of quickly. Such demands often act on us in such a way to motivate us to action. Not only are they important, but they are very urgent, therefore we are called to action to fulfill these needs and duties in life.
As Christians, we readily recognize the importance of fulfilling God's commands, yet we often do not treat our obedience as an urgent matter. We understand we must do the good God has told us to do, yet we too often "forget" to do it, treating it not as urgent. "But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Heb 13:16, NKJ). We know that no sin must continue in life, lest we fall away from God. Yet, we do not see sin as an urgent and daily danger to avoid. "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (Heb. 3:12-13, NKJ). Do brethren today truly recognize that our fight against sin and our duty to do good is an urgent matter of pressing importance? We neglect our salvation when we do not treat our obedience as an urgent matter (Heb. 2:1-3).
We often assume we have plenty of time to obey God and therefore lack a sense of urgency in our readiness for the Judgment day. Like the five virgins who did not bring oil in readiness for the bridegroom (Mat. 25:1-13), we act like fools when we believe we can wait until the last minute to prepare for the Judgment! God's word declares that when we live life without a sense of urgency in our obedience to God that we are spiritually "asleep" and need to "wake up"! "And this do (obey the law of God vs. 8-10 - ML), knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts" (Rom. 13:11-14, NASB).
Let us remember that the commands of God will not stir us to action without personal faith in God's word. Unlike hunger, medical needs, job or school responsibilities, etc., the commands of God do not seem to immediately press upon us. At least not by external forces. We can procrastinate in fulfilling God's will and most of the time there are no immediate consequences that we suffer. Unfortunately, for many people, there is the rationalization that we can delay obedience and that we have plenty of time to change our ways and make improvements for God. The commandments of God do not motivate some to action because they do not take God's word seriously. Only by receiving God's word with genuine faith will it stir us to obedience. Hebrews 4:1-2 says "Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard" (NASB). When we truly believe in what God says, our hearts will be convicted and we will be firmly persuaded to urgently obey the will of God. Though obedience may not seem urgent, it is in actuality a very urgent matter! (2 Peter 3:10-13).
Let us beware of the fact that many times we allow others to define for us what is important and urgent. Unwittingly, we may allow the world to set our priorities for us and a love for worldly things develops (1 John 2:15-16). The news media, entertainment, sports, and recreation are viewed of greater importance than they actually are and may control us as a result becoming our "master" (1 Cor. 6:12). Non-Christians may negatively influence our lives more than we realize to the point that we do not place priority on prayer, Bible study, good works and holiness as we once did (1 Cor. 15:33).
Frequently, we waste too much time in areas that are neither important nor urgent (sometimes even sinful!) such as TV or movie watching, reading newspapers and magazines, playing video games, surfing the Internet, engaging in gossip, shopping and buying things just for the fun of it, involving ourselves in hobbies or the collection of things that become almost an obsession, etc. Sin, such as gossip or covetousness, must of course cease. Yet, even those activities that appear morally neutral can become wrong or sinful when they are treated as more important and urgent than doing the will of God. In daily living, we must strive to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Mat. 6:33). This requires that we put God and His will above all other "urgent" matters as defined by the world (John 6:26-29) and redeem or make the most of our time each day in the service of the Lord (Eph. 5:15-17).
Putting that which is most important in life first is essential to spiritual fulfillment. No child of God should have regrets at the end of life and say "I wish I would have put first things first" (e.g. Bible study, prayer, serving, giving, marriage, parenting, evangelism, spiritual growth, victory over sin, etc.). God's will must be given priority now! Give your best to God right now. Treat prayer and Bible study as important and urgent, for they are preventive measures against committing sin (Mat. 26:41; 1 Pet. 2:2; Eph. 6:17). Remember the importance and urgency of long range planning of spiritual goals and good deeds that you want to accomplish in your service to God (2 Pet. 1:4-11; 1 Thes. 4:1). Take the time to encourage others and talk honestly and openly with family members, brethren in Christ, and others. This should be regarded as important as well as urgent (1 Thes. 5:11; Heb. 3:12-14; 10:24-25; Eph. 4:25). Your diligent commitment to the work and worship of the Lord should always be considered both important and urgent. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58, NKJ). Our obedience to God is an important and urgent matter to attend to so we will always be ready for the Judgment day when our Lord and Savior returns.
www.cvillechurch.com
Most everyone claims to be extremely busy today. Matters in which we consider "urgent" and "important" consume a lot of our time in life. Yet, regrettably, our obedience to God is oftentimes viewed as important, but not urgent. As a result, other matters in life are given more importance than they deserve, even above our spiritual needs and duties. To determine what is most important in life, we must go to God's word. Once we learn to put that which is most important first, we will learn to also regard spiritual matters as urgent.
Consider the many demands in life that we consider both urgent and important: Daily meals - Everyday, we must eat food to sustain our strength and health. Hunger comes everyday and therefore preparing meals is a continual, urgent matter, a pressing necessity that cannot be delayed for too long. Medical emergencies - When sickness strikes either ourselves or our family members, we have to take action fairly quickly to nurse ourselves back to health (especially small children). When there is a major illness or injury, it is an urgent matter to seek medical attention immediately. Duties related to work and school - Pressure is placed upon us by our employer to be on time and get the job done. We are compelled to work in order to provide for our families. Young people must attend school and come on time. Homework, tests, and deadlines are given which must be met to succeed. A mechanical failure at work or at home that must be fixed promptly - If machinery breaks down or the computer crashes, repair is often an urgent matter in order to fulfill the day's work agenda. If at home we have trouble with our plumbing, electrical system, heating and cooling, stove refrigerator, etc. it must be taken care of quickly. Such demands often act on us in such a way to motivate us to action. Not only are they important, but they are very urgent, therefore we are called to action to fulfill these needs and duties in life.
As Christians, we readily recognize the importance of fulfilling God's commands, yet we often do not treat our obedience as an urgent matter. We understand we must do the good God has told us to do, yet we too often "forget" to do it, treating it not as urgent. "But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Heb 13:16, NKJ). We know that no sin must continue in life, lest we fall away from God. Yet, we do not see sin as an urgent and daily danger to avoid. "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (Heb. 3:12-13, NKJ). Do brethren today truly recognize that our fight against sin and our duty to do good is an urgent matter of pressing importance? We neglect our salvation when we do not treat our obedience as an urgent matter (Heb. 2:1-3).
We often assume we have plenty of time to obey God and therefore lack a sense of urgency in our readiness for the Judgment day. Like the five virgins who did not bring oil in readiness for the bridegroom (Mat. 25:1-13), we act like fools when we believe we can wait until the last minute to prepare for the Judgment! God's word declares that when we live life without a sense of urgency in our obedience to God that we are spiritually "asleep" and need to "wake up"! "And this do (obey the law of God vs. 8-10 - ML), knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts" (Rom. 13:11-14, NASB).
Let us remember that the commands of God will not stir us to action without personal faith in God's word. Unlike hunger, medical needs, job or school responsibilities, etc., the commands of God do not seem to immediately press upon us. At least not by external forces. We can procrastinate in fulfilling God's will and most of the time there are no immediate consequences that we suffer. Unfortunately, for many people, there is the rationalization that we can delay obedience and that we have plenty of time to change our ways and make improvements for God. The commandments of God do not motivate some to action because they do not take God's word seriously. Only by receiving God's word with genuine faith will it stir us to obedience. Hebrews 4:1-2 says "Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard" (NASB). When we truly believe in what God says, our hearts will be convicted and we will be firmly persuaded to urgently obey the will of God. Though obedience may not seem urgent, it is in actuality a very urgent matter! (2 Peter 3:10-13).
Let us beware of the fact that many times we allow others to define for us what is important and urgent. Unwittingly, we may allow the world to set our priorities for us and a love for worldly things develops (1 John 2:15-16). The news media, entertainment, sports, and recreation are viewed of greater importance than they actually are and may control us as a result becoming our "master" (1 Cor. 6:12). Non-Christians may negatively influence our lives more than we realize to the point that we do not place priority on prayer, Bible study, good works and holiness as we once did (1 Cor. 15:33).
Frequently, we waste too much time in areas that are neither important nor urgent (sometimes even sinful!) such as TV or movie watching, reading newspapers and magazines, playing video games, surfing the Internet, engaging in gossip, shopping and buying things just for the fun of it, involving ourselves in hobbies or the collection of things that become almost an obsession, etc. Sin, such as gossip or covetousness, must of course cease. Yet, even those activities that appear morally neutral can become wrong or sinful when they are treated as more important and urgent than doing the will of God. In daily living, we must strive to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Mat. 6:33). This requires that we put God and His will above all other "urgent" matters as defined by the world (John 6:26-29) and redeem or make the most of our time each day in the service of the Lord (Eph. 5:15-17).
Putting that which is most important in life first is essential to spiritual fulfillment. No child of God should have regrets at the end of life and say "I wish I would have put first things first" (e.g. Bible study, prayer, serving, giving, marriage, parenting, evangelism, spiritual growth, victory over sin, etc.). God's will must be given priority now! Give your best to God right now. Treat prayer and Bible study as important and urgent, for they are preventive measures against committing sin (Mat. 26:41; 1 Pet. 2:2; Eph. 6:17). Remember the importance and urgency of long range planning of spiritual goals and good deeds that you want to accomplish in your service to God (2 Pet. 1:4-11; 1 Thes. 4:1). Take the time to encourage others and talk honestly and openly with family members, brethren in Christ, and others. This should be regarded as important as well as urgent (1 Thes. 5:11; Heb. 3:12-14; 10:24-25; Eph. 4:25). Your diligent commitment to the work and worship of the Lord should always be considered both important and urgent. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58, NKJ). Our obedience to God is an important and urgent matter to attend to so we will always be ready for the Judgment day when our Lord and Savior returns.
posted by Mark E Larson | 11:44 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home