Obey The Lord

I watched a great interview with Dr. Charles Stanley with @intouchmin in Atlanta. I have watched him from a distance for years as he led First Baptist Atlanta with such tempered wisdom and deep teaching of the Word.  To say I’m impressed with this good man would be quite an understatement. His life reflects what He preaches and teaches.  During the interview he was asked what legacy he wanted to leave behind. I found what he said to be simple, yet profound. He told of sitting all his grandchildren down and telling them to “obey the Lord in all you do and leave the rest to Him.”

Obedience to the Lord is foundational and fundamental to following Him. In fact I am kidding myself if I call myself a Christian and don’t obey His teaching. Jeremiah was dealing with the rebellious people of Judah. Check this out…

 “If you will return, Israel,


    then return to me,” says the Lord.


“If you will throw away your idols that I hate,


    then don’t wander away from me.

If you say when you make a promise,


    ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’


    and you can say it in a truthful, honest, and right way,


then the nations will be blessed by him,


    and they will praise him for what he has done.”

This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Plow your unplowed fields,


    and don’t plant seeds among thorns.

Give yourselves to the service of the Lord,


    and decide to obey him,


    people of Judah and people of Jerusalem.


If you don’t, my anger will spread among you like a fire,


    and no one will be able to put it out,


    because of the evil you have done. (Jeremiah 4:1-4 NCV)

 The Lord is consistent with His message of obedience. I believe that obedience really reveals my heart. If I am obedient to the Lord, then it shows my utmost respect and reverence for Him.  I can say I’m a believer and a follower of the Lord, but my obedience really tells the truth of the matter.  I love the adage that says, “what you do speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you’re saying”…it screams out obedience as fundamental to following the Lord.

 I am determined to make choices today that reveal a heart committed to following the Lord – no matter what.

Pressing On!

Dwayne