We are gathering together unto Thee, unto the king of king; unto the Lord of lords, we are gathering together unto Thee. Indeed unto Thee are we gathered; not unto man. Thank You for the gift of another day. A day you have made and said we should rejoice and be glad in it. We bow to say Thank You.
We offer praises unto Thee, we glorify Your Holy Name. Come into our heart, be our Lord and our Saviour, make us worthy to enter into Your presence and helps to look up to you in everything even as we call on Your Holy Name forever and ever Amen!
Beloved, how has it been with you? I mean since you decided to follow Jesus? There is this popular song that says “Great change since I know the Lord. The things I use to do; I do them no more. The places I use to go; I go them no more, there is a great change since I know the Lord”. Do you know the song?
It them means that you can never live your life as usual when you encountered Christ. People around you will notice the change not only you. In fact you don’t need to tell people you are born again; people will see Christ life manifesting in you. You become a touch bearer without knowing it. Like John the Baptist, you become a fore runner for Christ.
Every child of God; every servant of God has an assignment or call it a specific task given by God to accomplish.
Obedience is what is required of us once you come to the realization of such task. We all have a time to answer ours. That’s why we must be careful in our dealings with God, so that someone will not prevent you from accomplishing what God has called you to be.
Is not going to be business as usual, you must adjust your life to your calling. It does not make you more righteous than the next person but it will only make you focus on what you are called to be.
As we will also discover from the messages before us today, apart from making adjustment in your life, it also have cost implication in the lives of those around you. It must cost you something in serving God.
But the beauty of it that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose when you give your life in service to your Maker. It is not always smooth all the way but the fact is that your obedience is what God requires of you, and when you have left all just for His sake, He will in turn bless you and honour you all the days of your life. Eternal life is guaranteed in Christ Jesus at the end of your sojourn here on earth. Isn’t that wonderful?
Our Lord Jesus was not out of it, He made His own adjustment. He left the throne to fulfill His ministry as ordained by God. We all need to discover the adjustment you need to make and move on in your ministry, career, business and life. Be less mindful of the cost because of the great reward that awaits you at the end. Be heavenly minded and you have no regret at the end.
Beloved, ready to make the necessary adjustments? Come along with me as we make more discovery:
If my head were water, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear people.—Jeremiah 9:1
Jeremiah was invited by God to be a weeping prophet. His call came during turbulent, agonizing times as his society suffered from pervasive moral and spiritual decay. The nation of Judah had turned so far from God that it was soon to face His fierce judgment. This was not a time for merrymaking but for weeping. God looked for someone He could mold into the kind of prophet needed for such a bleak time. He found Jeremiah.
The cost to Jeremiah was intense; he sacrificed much of the freedom of his youth in order to be God’s messenger. He forfeited family and reputation. He endured misunderstanding, ridicule, and persecution. He was imprisoned and mocked by those to whom he had come to warn of God’s impending judgment.
Satan will try to convince you that obedience carries much too high a price, but he will never tell you the cost of not obeying God. If you are to be used in God’s service you must expect to make adjustments in your life. Can you measure the distance between the throne room of heaven and a cattle shed in Bethlehem? How far is it from the Lordship of the universe to the cross? Don’t be deceived into thinking there is no cost involved in obedience.
What adjustments is God asking you to make? Will you face the hardships and opposition that will come when you align your life with God’s will? Jeremiah had the deep satisfaction of knowing he was a faithful and beloved servant of God. Your reward will be the same when you choose to fully obey Christ, regardless of the cost.
Fear God in all your dealings that is what God expected of us. When you are dealing with people always bear in mind that it is God not that individual. So you must be careful on how you live, so as to please Him irrespective of the cost to you and others around you:
Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.—John 19:25
There is no Christianity without a cross, for you cannot be a disciple of Jesus without taking up your cross. Crosses are painful, they forever change your life, but sometimes the greatest cost will not be to you but to those you love. You may be prepared to obey the Lord’s commands, whatever they are, because you’ve walked with Him and know that His way is best. Yet there will be those close to you who have not related to Jesus in the same way and have not heard His voice as clearly.
Jesus understood that His Father’s will for Him led to a cross. The cross would mean a painful death for Jesus, and it would also bring suffering to those closest to Him. Because of the cross, Jesus’ mother would watch in agony as her son was publicly humiliated, tortured, and murdered. Jesus’ aunt and close friends would witness His excruciating death. His disciples would be scattered in terror and confusion in what would be the longest, darkest night of their lives. Because of Jesus’ obedience, there would also be a cross for each of His disciples.
Obedience to your Lord’s commands will affect others (Luke 14:26). Don’t refuse to obey what you know God is asking because you fear the cost to your family will be too great. Beware lest you seek to prevent those you love from taking up the cross God has for them. Don’t ever try to protect those you love by disobeying God. The cost of disobedience is always far greater. Rather, look to Jesus, your model, and see what it cost those around Him for Him to be obedient to His Father.
The author have so much to share when it comes to the making adjustment and the cost of the ministry in her life, the good side is that she is living out her calling in God and God will surely make all things beautiful in due season. To an onlooker, who does not understand the things of the Spirit is foolishness but faithful is He that calleth He will also bless. For His reward is in His hands. He is a Faithful God but He want to see you get committed to Him and He will uphold all His promises to you and your generation yet unborn.
God’s blessings is usually generational, consider Abraham, Jacob, David, many more others in the bible time and even in our time. Beloved, obey God and you join this formidable army of God’s generational blessings.
All in one package of “OBEDIENCE”.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
