SUB-THEME: PRINCIPLE OF UNLIMITED ADVANCEMENT AND ALL-ROUND FRUITFULNESS
TOPIC: LIVING A LIFE OF TOTAL OBEDIENCE
TEXT: Deut. 5:32–33; 28:1-6; Isa. 1:19
Introduction: Obedience simply means compliance with an order, regulation, or law, or submission to another’s authority.
God, as our Father, demands total obedience from us as His children. In His sight, “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22).
We see from Deuteronomy 5:32–33 and also from chapter 28:1–6 that there are wonderful promises God made to His children. The promises are summed up in our Diocesan theme of the year: “unlimited advancement and all-round fruitfulness.”
Yes, this is the desire of God for His children. He wants the best for them. Yet, as wonderful as these promises are and as precious as God’s children are to Him, these promises could not be fulfilled if God’s children chose to live in disobedience. He says in His word, “If you are... obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isa. 1:19).
Again, our obedience must be total. God said, “You shall not turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deut. 5:32). Often times, we are tempted to adjust the Word of God to suit our liking, but this itself is a sin before God (Rev. 22:18). We must resist the temptation to think that God is not serious with His words. It is said that partial obedience is as good as no obedience.
Beloved, as we await the fulfilment of God’s promises to us this year as a Diocese, let us determine to live a life of obedience, knowing that it is impossible to gain the blessing of God through disobedience. Our obedience to God is for our own good. We are the ones that will gain at last both here and in eternity, and we are the ones to lose if we refuse to obey.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, inspire in us the spirit of obedience, both to God, to authorities over us, and to all that demands our obedience, in Jesus name. Amen.
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