3.3.24 Willisburg Bulletin
GOD MEANS WHAT HE SAYS
Do you believe that? Well of course we’d say, yes God means what He says, BUT sometimes our actions would speak otherwise. We cannot be too naive to think we don’t faulter in our belief. Do we truly believe God means what he says? God sometimes told his people to do unusual things without knowing the outcome. And it’s the same way with us. If we truly believe God and trust what He says, then we will act like it through our faithful obedience, without hesitation, even if we don’t know the outcome. We must be confident in our Creator and be willing to serve in the small ways. Because we will be held accountable for every opportunity we let slip by and for every doubt we let hinder our obedience. True belief in He means what He says, will cause us to submit to His will, even in the small, unknown outcome situations in life.
REWARDED DISOBEDIENCE
This title may seem odd, but God does reward disobedience in the form of discipline. We see many examples in the Bible like the Israelites, Jonah, and Lot’s wife who were command to do something, yet they did what they wanted. Therefore, God punished them. God is willing to teach us a lesson the hard way if that’s what it takes. God is a just God (Ps 7:11) and punishment will come to those who wait to obey. Hesitation and doubt only lead down a fiery path.
EVEN THE SMALL DETAILS
In Exodus 29:20, Aaron and his sons were going through the process of being consecrated their command was to “take the blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.” If they had not done those three things God asked of them with the blood, they would not have become priests. It’s that simple. Even though we think it seems silly and we may not understand why they had to do that exact thing, that’s what God asked them to do. It’s a matter of complete obedience that God seeks. If they had marched one day shy of God’s command, the walls of Jericho would not have fallen. If Noah had not built the ark to God’s specks, the ark wouldn’t have floated. The things that may seem silly to us are the serious matters to God. He takes notice of the tiny. We cannot fall prey to the worldly idea of just getting the big picture or just doing the big checklist items because that’s Satan’s tactic to try to ensnare us. Just doing the least amount possible and just doing the things with praise isn’t enough nor is it what God is looking for. God is a God of exalting the humble and humbling the exalted. We need to be humbly serving Him, even in the small ways.
REWARDED OBEDIENCE
How many times does God command people in the Bible to do something, and they don’t do it and they are rewarded for their wrongdoings? Only by discipline! It would be foolish of us to think we will get to Heaven by having a doing whatever we want attitude or just being good most of the time or just showing up on Sunday mornings or just reading the Bible. It requires more than a “just”/ get away with the least I can do way of life. We must work if we want to be part of God’s kingdom and part of the reward for that chosen priesthood (1 Pet 2:9). If we want to reap the joys of an eternal home with God, it requires sowing the seeds. That includes talking to people about the gospel, lending a hand to the needy, showing hospitality, providing strength to weaker members, older members teaching the younger, raising children in the faith, growing as an individual in the faith, etc, but most importantly, first, being baptized. Being part of the priesthood and wholeheartedly serving God is where the joy lies and ultimately will lead us to the gates of glory.