“Dear friends, you always followed my
instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more
important. Work hard to show the results
of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you
the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Phil. 2:12-13 NLV
As a genuine disciple of Jesus we must use
the building block of growth in their proper order.
The first and most important, building
block of all is obedience.
We must discard the notion that faith exist
by itself. “Faith, if it has no works, is
dead.” (James 2:17)
Obedience is faith acting, the tangible
evidence that genuine faith exists on the inside of me. While it is difficult to say which comes
first, faith or obedience, without obedience my faith will never grow.
Obedience is also essential to
knowledge. My cry for understanding and
enlightenment will rise no higher than my head until I put into practice what
God has already taught me. It is in the
usage of my supplies that God multiplies my supplies.
If I do not obey God in the basics, He will
never lead me on. God never intended for
truth to be deposited in the storehouse of my mind, but to be utilized in my
life as a power.
Obedience is the necessary stepping-stone
to fruitfulness and power.
We often complain about our lack of power
and beg God to hear us and send a blessing. He will send no blessing until we obey
the commands He has already given us!
God’s abundant power immediately accompanies
the one who obeys Him. I must bring
myself back to the basics of discipleship and see that the first building block
is in place.
Once I begin to obey, God will begin to
bless, and He will lead me on until His “grand design” is finished in me.
“Study this Book of Instruction
continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey
everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” Joshua 1:8 NLT
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