On the surface, OC is a bit obvious today. He tells us to just do what Jesus says. But for me it’s never that simple. If I know Jesus is telling me to do something, mostly I’ll do it.
There are some problems. First, I don’t always know what Jesus is telling me to do. This is another way of saying that I don’t always recognize His voice. This is, of course, my fault. I have not developed a keen enough ear to hear Him. I am not so in the habit of continuous obedience that I always recognize His voice. I know in most situations this is just an excuse. I have His written word. I know that every word in it comes from God; but I don’t follow every word of it. I do just what OC warns against. I sometimes conclude the Word is “mistaken” or “a bad translation” or “meant only for that time and place and not a universal truth.”
I know if I will just obey His clear written Word, I will be living in His presence and become more sensitive to those special instructions He gives us in our special situations.
“I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence.” Christ is infinitely patient. He knows the next step we have to take. Although we may want to skip ahead, He won’t let us. He will repeated tell us in many ways wheat we need to do next and He’ll persist until we do it.
“But when I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter into my mind, I am bringing in an element that is not of God. This will only result in my concluding that His instructions to me were not right. Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus Christ, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself? Faithfulness to Jesus means that I must step out even when and where I can’t see anything”.
As a lawyer, this is an area that gives me trouble. I love mental exercises. I like to plan and know what I’m doing and where I’m going “But faithfulness to my own ideas means that I first clear the way mentally. Faith, however, is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I can’t see the way ahead.”
“Are you faithful to Jesus, or faithful to your ideas about Him? Are you faithful to what He says, or are you trying to compromise His words with thoughts that never came from Him? “Whatever He says to you, do it ” and
Be blessed.
Nick
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