"Follow Me"
Day One
Choosing Obedience
“And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even
death on a cross!”
Philippians 2:8
“Obedience” is not a popular word these days. For many
it conjures up thoughts of over-bearing dominance, weak
capitulation and blind conformity. However, imagine
if obedience was seen as life-saving, life-sustaining
and life-providing? Airline cabin crews are told to
secure all doors before takeoff, and we rely on their
obedience for our safety. We tell our children to hold
our hands while crossing a busy street, and we make
them obey for their well-being.
Typically our response to being told to obey is relative
to who is telling us to obey, why we are being told
to obey, and how we feel about the circumstances. We
want to know in advance what obedience will require
of us and how it will make us look before we agree to
submit our will to another. Jesus saw obedience to God
as absolute. He forsook his image and his free will,
and, in humility, he simply obeyed God.
We will never face a tougher request for obedience
than Jesus did from his Father. He obeyed no matter
what his Father required of him, and through that demonstrated
not only the importance of obeying God, but also the
power of obeying God.
If you have accepted Jesus, you too are a child of
God, and your heavenly Father requires your obedience.
Because obedience to God cost Jesus his life, we can
obediently submit our lives to him also. Jesus’ glorification
and return to his Father after being obedient to death
on a cross reminds us that while our obedience to God
can be costly, it also results in great rewards.
Pray Today
Pray that you would delight in obeying God and grow
to be joyful in your obedience. Ask Jesus to help you
understand that when you obey him, you worship him,
just as he worshiped his Father.
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PDF of Day One
Introduction
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