God Smiles When We Obey

God Smiles When We Obey
by Rick Warren

Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. Genesis 6:22 (NLT)

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Noah obeyed completely (no instruction was overlooked) and he obeyed exactly (in the way and time God wanted it done). That is wholeheartedness. It is no wonder God smiled on Noah.
If God asked you to build a giant boat, don’t you think you might have a few questions, objections, and reservations? Noah didn’t. He obeyed God wholeheartedly. That means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. You don’t procrastinate and say, “I’ll pray about it.” You do it without delay. Every parent knows that delayed obedience is really disobedience.

God doesn’t owe you an explanation or reason for everything he asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding.
Often we try to offer God partial obedience. We want to pick and choose the commands we obey. We make a list of the commands we like and obey those while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpopular. I’ll attend church but I won’t tithe. I’ll read my Bible but I won’t forgive the person who hurt me. Yet partial obedience is disobedience.
Wholehearted obedience is done joyfully with enthusiasm. The Bible says, “Obey him gladly” (Psalm 100:2 LB). This is the attitude of David: “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly obey” (Psalm 119:33 LB).

James, speaking to Christians, said, “We please God by what we do and not only by what we believe” (James 2:24 CEV). God’s Word is clear that you can’t earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort. But as a child of God you can bring pleasure to your heavenly Father through obedience.

Any act of obedience is also an act of worship. Why is obedience so pleasing to God? Because it proves you really love him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments” (John 14:15 TEV).

Still

Verse For The Day

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:

Still

Psalm 18:2 NIV: The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

You still feel something is missing. You still wonder what it is. You still try to find God´s answers. You still question whether the answers are His. You still put your best foot forward. You still feel inept in your tries. You still long for something far greater. You still hope God hears all your cries. And somewhere in the midst of questioning, and confusion in all that is, Truth quietly whispers. "I´m still here," the voice says. In your heart of hearts you have no doubt that He is. He´s still present no matter how quiet. Still faithful no matter the trial. Still longing to help you get through it. Still walking with you, every mile. He´s still beside you in the still quiet moments. Still comforting you in His arms. Still cherishing you as His loved one. Still keeping you safe from what harms. "I´m still here," He says, "So be still." Embrace His peace and take heart. And know no matter whatever may be—God´s still with you throughout every part.

Faith the Facts!

by Rick Warren

When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. James 2:20 (LB)
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Is faith simply a frame of mind? A passive attribute of a Christian w aiting to see what God has in store for you: a promotion, cancer, depression, betrayal, blessing, wealth, and injustice . . . some see it that way. They might say, “I’ll just wait to see what God is going to do for me and go with the flow.” That’s crazy talk.

Faith is active. It’s not passive. It’s a commitment. Look at your lifestyle and see what kind of actions follow as a result of it. If you’ve got the real stuff, faith can be demonstrated.
When you were baptized you made a statement to God and the people around you. You said, “I’m in!” But it doesn’t stop at baptism – not by a long shot! What else do you do? You start following the pattern of Jesus. Faith is proven by how we live. Don’t misinterpret this. What you do – your walking around, everyday life – doesn’t get you into heaven. It doesn’t make you saved. It doesn’t mean you’re a Christian; it shows you are a Christian.

The next steps:
· Celebrate the lavish gift of grace. You were saved because Jesus is crazy about you and wants you to be with him in heaven. Revel in it!

· Show your faith. Wedding rings don’t make you married, but they say “Yes” in a visible way. In the same way, baptism isn’t the thing that will get you into heaven but it’s an act of obedience. (Jesus commanded us to baptize and be baptized.)

· Share your faith with the people around you. If you are excited about what God has done in your life, then why not share it? There are lots of ways to do that. Get plugged into serving God. There are literally millions of possibilities. Point people to Jesus and love them like Jesus did. It’ll be something you will relish for eternity.