This Way!

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23

Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, is a man that I know very little about.  Though an extremely important man in Jesus' life, not much is recorded about him.  But in these 2 short passages one character trait of Joseph can clearly be identified with all certainty:  

Joseph was an obedient man!

Not only did Joseph obey the angel of the Lord, but he obeyed with complete compliance, and he obeyed with a great sense of urgency!  Joseph didn't just hear the angel telling him what to do next, but he immediately jumped into action with a preciseness that calls my own obedience into account.

In the first passage, the angel of the Lord declares his message to Joseph using 4 verbs that can clearly direct Joseph's next moves: 

 "Rise, Take (the child and his mother), Flee (to Egypt), and Remain (there until I tell you)."  -- Matthew 2: 13

You only need to read to the next verse to see what Joseph's response would be.  His complete compliance and urgency show up in verse 14.  Without a second thought, Joseph began to respond, the very moment he awakened from his dream.  So just what did he do?  With laser precision, Joseph rose, and taking Jesus and Mary, by night, he departed quickly to Egypt, the place to which the angel had told him to flee. 

Did you notice that the obedient actions of Joseph mimic exactly the command of the angel? And if these actions were not enough to convince us of Joseph's quick and compliant disposition, then we are given another passage that proves it.  

In Matthew 2: 19-23, we are shown once again the heart of Joseph.  An angel appears again to Joseph in a dream, but this time Joseph is in Egypt.  The angel gave new directions to the father of Jesus, a second 'This-way'-kind-of-a-dream.'  Joseph's impeccable desire to obey God is shown to us another time as he "rose, took, and went," back to Bethlehem.  And listening  to yet a third warning, Joseph does not stay in Bethlehem, but takes his family to Nazareth in Galilee for the safety of Jesus.

Yes, we can tell by these 8 verses that Joseph lived to obey whatever God told him, quickly and completely!  Surely Joseph received a great reward for responding to God with obedience.

O Lord, tell me clearly, even as you did Joseph, what my 'way' is in 2014, in every part of my life.  I want to hear and respond to your directives with the same accuracy as Joseph . . . rapidly and completely!

Following God's Directions

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

As children, we were all taught the importance of following instructions. We also learned that there were always consequences when we didn't! How well are you following God's instructions to you?

 In Numbers 36: 1-10 Moses recounts the story of God directions to enter into the Promised Land and spy it out, for the  purpose of bringing an encouraging account to the Jews who would be moving there soon.  Read this brief account before reading this blog, for more clarification.

 "Moses is recounting the story of God sending out the 12 spies into the Promised Land, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, to look at the land that the Israelites would soon possess, having made their exodus from Egypt.  Ten of the spies saw that the land was 'flowing with milk and honey,' but they were afraid of the people who already lived there--the people they would now have to dispossess (remove) from the land, according to God's directions.  They came back and discouraged their clans, causing them to also fear going into the the land.  But Joshua and Caleb, the other two spies, followed the Lord's commands to the the letter.  They returned and tried to encourage the people that the Lord would be faithful in all He had commanded them to do.  There were the only spies who completely followed the command of God.  This is our first point to consider:

POINT #1:  God wants our complete and full compliance to His words and commands.

By examining the Scriptural text, you can see that God said this about His people, including the ten spies, who came up out of bondage in Egypt, regarding their response to entering the land and possessing it:  'They did not follow Me fully.'   But about Joshua and Caleb, the two faithfully, obedient spies He said this:  'They followed Me fully.'

Did you notice that God did not praise the ten spies for the time they spent spying out the Promised Land for His people?  He did not praise them for their bravery and courage as they witnessed giants in the land.  He also did not praise them for the gigantic clusters of grapes they brought back from the land or for the pomegranates and figs they found.  Have you ever wondered why it mattered to God to what degree  they followed Him and His commands?  You have to understand what God's purposes and goals were for His chosen people.  It was to give them the Promised Land to live and dwell in.  His goal was to lead His obedient children out of the wilderness that they had been traveling through and lead them into the beautiful and lush land of promise."

Israel's disobedience and unwillingness to follow God meant that His blessing would have to be delayed.  How this broke the heart of God!  The blessings that would naturally flow out of His love for them were trumped by their choice to believe the false report and obey it instead of the report that God was in control and that He would deliver the giants into their hands. 

God requires our complete and full compliance to His words and commands, not to be an overbearing Controller of our lives, but to be able to be our Loving Father who desires to give us all of His best things.  And He always is working to bring about the very best in our lives.  Israel faced the consequences of their disobedient, non-compliance.  They were not allowed to enter the Promised Land for forty more years, and none of the men who were twenty years old or older ever got to enter in!  Forty more years in the wilderness . . . a huge price to pay for desiring to walk their own way.  What price will you have to pay for following in their footsteps instead of bending your self-will to match the Father's?

(The quoted portion was taken from Chapter 8, "Fully Following God's Commands" d in Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory , available for purchase at www.cherylgnagey.com or www.amazon.com).