Benescke Janse van Rensburg

A week or so ago I stood in the kitchen of our house, washing our 21-month-old daughter's bottles. Suddenly I realized that I had forgotten one of her bottles in her room. Pressed for time, I asked my 4-year-old daughter, who was playing in the living room, to fetch the bottle upstairs while I finished washing the other bottles. Where she usually obeys immediately, she responded: "Mom, I'll go later. I just want to finish playing here." What? Not later, I need the bottles now. In a couple of minutes, it would be too late.

Half surprised, half frustrated, I was about to tell her what I thought about her disobedience, when I clearly heard the Holy Spirit's voice: "Benescke, do you now understand how frustrating it is to Me when I give a command to one of My children and they refuse to instantly obey because they are 'too busy' with their 'own things'?"

Noah, Gideon and Abraham. All three these men had commandments from God. Noah had to build an ark. Gideon had to lead the army into battle (even though he was afraid and the youngest son from a poor family). And Abraham had to go sacrifice his son Isaac (the son he waited for for several decades). What would have happened if these people would have been "too busy" to attend to God's command? Would Noah and his family perhaps have drowned with the rest of humanity? Would Gideon have survived the onslaught of the enemy army? And would Abraham perhaps have missed some of God's promises and blessings He had in store for him?

In 1 Samuel 15:22 we read: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice . . ." In John 14:15, Jesus says: "If you love me, keep my commands." And in Deuteronomy 5:33, we read: "Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."

Immediate obedience shows I AM our faith in Him. It demonstrates that we trust Him more than allowing fear and uncertainty about the future to overwhelm us. In the kitchen my daughter's disobedience caused me to fetch the bottle myself. I wonder how many times my own disobedience to God due to fear about the future caused God to perhaps use someone else to do what He needed done? Let's together take the decision to obey immediately. Even if the command does not make sense in the present, we can remember that we serve a God who holds the future in His hands. God bless.

Father God, thank you for using me sometimes still despite my weaknesses and shortcomings. Please strengthen me by your Holy Spirit to obey immediately if you lead. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

ASSIGNMENT: Is there something God asked you to do, but you were disobedient due to fear? Speak to God about it, and take the decision to obey immediately in future. 

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