07 16 08 BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING

“Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come to him with songs of joy.”
(Psalm 100:2 NIrV)

Obedience is a major form of worship! Partial obedience doesn’t get the job done. In fact, it is disobedience! We cannot pick and choose what part of God’s will for us we want to obey. We can’t expect to always understand it all either. Many times our Father just says do this because I said so…the explanation may come later. As our parents have told us many times, “It’s for your own good!” It may be BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING at the moment.

We earn nothing with our obedience. We don’t do good to get things. We do good to honor God. Knowing and trusting DADDY has our best intentions in mind and plans for each of us to succeed, we trust Him and obey His direction; even His discipline!

“But Samuel replied,
‘What pleases the Lord more?
Burnt offerings and sacrifices, or obeying him?
It is better to obey than to offer a sacrifice.
It is better to do what he says than to offer the fat of rams’.”
(1 Samuel 15:22 NIrV)

Many of us put such emphasis upon formal services, planned ministry, and scheduled events. We do it all with such good intentions and with an honest effort to please the Lord. This is fine. However, the emphasis must be upon doing it the way God requires, not the ways that bring attention to us…to me. It’s so rewarding to ask God where He wants me and what He wants me to do; to see Him working and join Him, than to spend a whole lot of energy doing my will and pleasing my desires. We all need to listen a lot more to His voice before we plan and do.

Much of the work God has for us is already going on and we just have to make ourselves available. What God needs is more Indians and less chiefs, to recall a saying from the distant past! God needs laborers, willing to roll up their sleeves, put on their boots, and be prepared to get a little dirty, a little sweaty, a little hungry, and a little weary. He wants our hearts and our hands! He desires His children to desire Him.

Joy comes in the light of morning. Reward comes when we see Him in all His glory and we hear “well done”. Abundant life is not promised in this world, but with the Lord in eternity. Let’s find joy in obedience, service, and worship! The result is a blessing of peace. Nothing beats His peace! It’s BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING for sure.