Obedience.......
takes grace!!!!
I
remember the struggle many years ago....... I wanted to be obedient
to that still small voice of the Lord.. Sometimes, maybe I'd scarcely
succeed and sometimes I'd fail.... Many times I'd find it impossible,
especially when it came to doing something that looked like there
was no explanation for and people thought I was "weird",
but I wished later I'd obeyed, because the circumstances proved
that the "still small voice was correct". The conflict
was horrible. I wanted so much to obey God but hated looking weird,
or nasty.
I'm
not sure what happened but somehow it got resolved in my mind
when one of little Jonni's cousins pestered his Mum, after a visit,
to stay and play. These little alarm bells were going off inside
of me and disturbing my peace but I didn't want to offend the
mother. We had a terrible time over the next few hours, the lad
running about and causing all sorts of chaos.
In despair I told God that without Him I couldn't even obey Him,
so from now on I was going to rely on Him and His grace to just
simply do His basic will because on my own I just couldn't, especially
when it came to saying "No".
Obedience usually comes naturally without the battle with my will
anymore. I've still got a lot of growing in grace to do and I'm
realising there are more areas of my life I could surrender to
the Lord and find victory in by His grace.
If
by any chance I begin to think how 'obedient' I am on my own....
I fall flat on my face as a reminder........
Obedience...
takes grace!!!!
But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18.
Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide
in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in
me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for
apart from me you can do nothing. John 15 4,5.