The Golden Strand

Obedience is the 'golden strand' that runs from Genesis through Revelations. In Genesis God expected obedience from Adam and Eve, but they failed. Their disobedience demonstrated their lack of faith in the One who was their creator, their friend, their provider and their God. Their trust was in Satan who lied to them about God. They succumbed to the temptation and lost everything. If they really loved God and had faith in Him, they would have obeyed Him. In John 14:15 Jesus told His disciples, "If you really love me, you will keep my commandments."

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. In Genesis it says that Noah walked in constant fellowship with God. God looked on the degenerate mankind and decided He would destroy them all, except Noah and His family. So, God told Noah to build an ark so he could be saved from the flood that He would send upon the whole earth. The majority and popular opinion was to scoff at Noah and at God and His command.Noah obeyed and he and his family were saved. I heard a saying that is very true, "What is popular is not always right; what is right is not always popular."

The Lord told Abram to leave his country and people and go to where He directed. Abram obeyed and his faith was counted to him for righteousness.

In Exodus God instructed Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. He went through many testings (and failed some of them), but God was patient. When Moses decided to trust in and obey El Shaddai, God Almighty, God rewarded his faith with many signs and miracles on the way from Egyptian bondage to freedom and a land of their own - all because of Moses' faith, which was exhibited by obedience. Moses didn't get to enter the Promise Land because he disobeyed when he struck the rock and God had told him to speak to it. All of the Children of Israel's curses happened because they did not obey God. They murmured (doubted), instead of praising and obeying. Faith and obedience always brings praise to our hearts. There cannot be true faith without obedience following, as it says in James 2:14-26.

In Deuteronomy 28, God gave instructions to His people, and people of all time, that if they obeyed Him, they would be greatly blessed, but if they didn't, they would be cursed. Some obeyed and were blessed, some disobeyed and were cursed. The same is still true today with all people - love+faith+obedience=blessing; disobedience= curses.

In Mark 16, Jesus was giving some of His last instructions before returning to heaven. In the sixteenth verse He said, "He who has true faith in me, and is baptized, will be saved, but he who does not believe and obey will be condemned."

In the scriptures "leaven" stands for "sin." It takes just a small amount of leaven to ferment the whole loaf of bread (I Cor.5:6). Likewise, just a small disobedience can affect all areas of our lives. Our lives are made up of small decisions and details. So we must determine and plan to be intentional in our obedience. Plan to obey, not fail. In I Samuel:32, Samuel told Saul, after his disobeying God's command not to spare the enemy or his animals, "To obey is better than sacrifice."
We have no excuse for our disobedience, not even ignorance. You dispell ignorance with knowledge (of God's Word). Read It, learn It, know It and "hide It in your heart so you won't sin against God" (Ps.119:11).

In John 14:15, Jesus told His disciples, "If you truly love me you will keep my commandments." If we practice disobedience we do not truly love the Father, (I Jn.5:1-3).

I could name multiplied ones who believed God, obeyed Him and received great blessings. The same is true today. True faith will always result in obedience. Rom. 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing the Word of God." What is not said in this scripture, but "understood," is that the hearing must be mixed with faith - believing what you hear to the point of acting on it as is stated in James 1:22. By being "doers" of the Word means to obey what we hear. To obey the Word proves our faith, as James talks about in the second chapter. If we don't obey and act on what we have "heard," our faith never took root and is dead. Hearing has to be experienced, not just with our ears but it must involve our heart.(Eze.3:10). We must receive it with our will, emotions and intellect (understanding).

In John 3:16, it tells us that whosoever will believe (have faith) in Jesus will have eternal life. Believing in Jesus is a choice and then we are adopted into the family of God - what an eternal blessing! By believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth, you are acting on your faith. We can know we are one of God's children by obeying Him and experience His wonderful blessings (I Jn.5:1-5; 11-15).

Although the words "obey" or "obedience" is not in the book of Revelation, it is understood that it is a book of judgment for the disobedient but rewards for the obedient.

Today choose who you will obey (Josh.24:15)!