February 4, 2005
The Obedience Factor
Read:
Matthew 3:13-17
Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. -Matthew 3:15
Bible In One Year: Exodus 25-27
Dewey VanderVelde refused to be baptized. He steadfastly resisted, even when his wife and daughters were baptized one Sunday afternoon.
Years later, his pastor preached on the baptism of Jesus. He pointed out that John the Baptist initially refused to baptize Jesus, but Jesus said, "It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). The pastor then added this comment: "If Jesus obeyed the will of the Father, so should we."
After the message, Dewey asked to be baptized. He said that he should have obeyed the Lord's command much sooner, and he regretted having been so stubborn.
The issue, of course, was more than just baptism; it was obedience. The same may be true for us. We may be stubbornly disobeying the Lord in a certain area of our life-lying, cheating, stealing at work, not giving to the Lord.
Here's what we must face: Jesus obeyed the Father in everything. His submission took Him from the height of popularity to abandonment. It took Him from public adoration to solitary suffering. It took Him to Pilate's judgment hall, the terrible road to Calvary, the cross, and the tomb.
Let it be today that we willingly decide to obey the Lord in everything. -Dave Egner
To do things our own way;
And help us, Lord, to heed Your Word,
Its precepts to obey. -Sper
True faith will obey without delay.
What Does It Take To Follow Christ?