"My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do God's Word. Obedience is thicker than blood." ~~Jesus

Jesus challenges us to see the reality of GOD's World (Kingdom). Who is our family? Who are our mother's, brothers and sisters? What is family all about?

What is that reality? Obedience is the only thing that matters. Who is obeying GOD? They are our family. We need to be loyal to them. We need to love them.

Jesus throws conventional wisdom on its ear. Blood is not the thicker than water.

It is all about who is doing what GOD wants to have done today. Find them. Connect with them.

"My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do GOD's Word. Obedience is thicker than blood." ~~Jesus (Luke 8:21 The Message)

"You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this." ~~Jesus

Jesus is talking to religious people. That would be us. He challenges us to really understand what God is saying and to quit making up things that only benefit what we want. Jesus isn't looking for selfish people. He doesn't want us to be religious and quote scripture for our own benefit. He knows we do this way too much.

He wants us to search out God's word and act on what He is asking us to do.

"You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this." ~~Jesus (Mark 7:13 The Message)

"But you weasel out of that by saying ...." ~~Jesus

Jesus is direct with us about twisting God's words and using them to our advantage. Jesus knows what His Father said and meant. We do too. We can't weasel out by trying to change the intent. Jesus challenges us to not be religious. It is all about knowing God, listening to God and doing what our loving Father wants us to. Obedience is preferred over sacrifice.

May I believe what God has said and act on it.

Moses said, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.' But you weasel out of that by saying that it's perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, 'Gift! What I owed you I've given as a gift to God,' thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. (Mark 7:10 The Message)

"You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! " ~~Jesus

Jesus challenges us to obey God and not follow the latest religious fads. God is clear in what He wants us to do. Religious leaders can deceive us with various fashionable and trendy ideas. This is not God's way.

Our way is to "interpret" God's word to our advantage. Jesus knows we do it. He demands that we stop.

God's word and way is clear. May we follow it today and every day.

"You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! " ~~Jesus (Mark 7:9 The Message)

They were worried, Jesus wasn't at all

Here is a lesson in worry from our Master Jesus. He wasn't worried. He wasn't anxious. He was just doing what He knew to do which was be in His Father's house. So, his parents were worried. He was not. I should be concerned about doing my Father's business and not worry about anything else. And, he continued to grow this way. Stuff just didn't faze Him because He was listening to His Heavenly Father and just doing what He heard Him saying.

May I be about my Father's business and grow in His favor. May I worry about whether I am pleasing him.

When they saw Him, they were astonished ; and His mother said to Him, "Son , why have You treated us this way ? Behold , Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You." And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:48-52

 

 

Is there a plan B?

There is no plan B. There is no backup plan. Contingencies are out the door.

The enemy lies to me leading me to believe if I don't do what my Father wants, then someone else will do it. That isn't the truth.

Here is the truth. God created me to join Him in the work He is doing. This is the good work He has gotten ready for me to do. This is the work I had better be doing. He doesn't have anyone else in mind to do it. He doesn't have a plan B. There is no backup plan. It is His plan for me.

God is ready. Am I?

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

"One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons." ~~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes." ~~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Will I allow God to demolish a massively corrupt culture?

All it takes is to watch the evening news to know we live in a massively corrupt culture. Our Father has given us tools to demolish that culture. To bring it right down. But I can’t fight it the same way the world does. My tools are different. Will I allow God to demolish it in my life?

May I live a life of obedience into maturity. May I receive the good news of God's new goal for me. May I not miss it in my life today.

The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 2 Corinthians 10

Mere busywork

Not all work is the same. Some things are much more important in the Kingdom than others. I shouldn't waste my time on useless work. Am I just doing busywork? Do I see that as a sham? How would this look in the light of Jesus and His glory?

May I know what He wants me to do and may I do it with enthusiasm!!

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them--Ephesians 5:11

Conditions of obedience?

When I see things from my world, I can fall into the trap that I can "dictate to God" how I want things to happen. God is God and it is only what he wants that matters. Mine is only a issue of hearing His word and obeying.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience ~Oswald Chambers http://ow.ly/VfjW

Doing what God said

He is God. That means He knows what He is doing even if I don't get it. His answer is the right answer. His timing is the right timing. He is God.

My job is give it to Him and trust Him. He cares about me in ways I can't understand.

Yep, He is God and He isn't going to stop being God. May I live my life that way.

So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it. 1 Peter 4:17