Philippians 2:12-16 KJV
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not
run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Obedience is such a difficult concept for so many. It may entail us not doing what we
think we should or what the world tells us to do. Instead, it may mean that we have to
submit our will to another authority, giving up control and accepting its decisions. It can be challenging.
In Paul’s letter today to the Philippians, he calls for a commitment to a life of obedience to God, the one who should direct our paths. He goes on to add to that call – we should be obedient to God and be happy about it, with no complaining or arguing or questioning.
We are supposed to go, innocent and uncorrupted, causing no harm, as a breath of fresh air into our polluted society, and give others a glimpse of good living, the living God!
That means that as Christians, we shouldn’t do such things as withhold our tithes until we get our way. It means that we shouldn’t threaten to leave the church to make our point either. Instead, it means that we should obediently, with other brothers and sisters in Christ, focus on the essentials and let God sort out the non-essentials.
These things are hard but God doesn’t want us to sweat the small stuff. Just be obedient
to Him and make Him our first priority and all will fall into place.
Can we carry out the instructions of Paul, and be obedient to our God, so that we do not run or labor in vain? The Bible gives us the answer…with God, all things are possible!
Truth Conquers All 