Doing What God Says – Paul Chappell
(Below is from a daily devotional I received yesterday via email – Daily in the Word by Paul Chappell. This particular one reminded me of a recent message our pastor preached on the Lordship of Christ. I thought it significant that both were in the last week or so…)
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Doing What God Says
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.”
Luke 6:46–48
Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery was one of Britain’s great war heroes. Twice wounded in battle during World War I, “Monty” was given command of the British Eighth Army during the North African campaign of World War II. Known for his hard-charging, attacking style, Montgomery left no doubt about who was in charge. He issued a statement declaring, “From this moment on, the giving of a command does not mean the beginning of a discussion about the command.”
God loves and makes us part of His family through His grace, but He is still God. Jesus is more than just Saviour. He is also Lord. As such, He has the full right to command us to obey. It is impossible to say, “No, Lord” without contradicting ourselves. If He is Lord (and He is), then the only possible acceptable answer is “Yes.” When we insist on going our own way in disobedience, we are declaring through our actions that we refuse to regard and obey Jesus as Lord. While we would never say such a thing with our words, that is what disobedience reveals.
The Christian life is a life of self-denial and submission to God’s will. Jesus said, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). We are not on a pleasure cruise to Heaven. Jesus has called us to follow Him into battle, and we owe our Captain full and complete obedience.