Value in Obeying God

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Exo 19:5 “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession…”

Have you ever thought of how important obedience is to parents concerning their children? Parents love obedience and when their children learn it and walk in it, the parents feel as though they are of the most blessed in the world.

When parents go through the teen years with their kids, they don’t think in terms of the word “obedience” so much anymore. Either their children have grown to the teen years having learned respect, a civil attitude, and reasonable compliance or they haven’t.

By the time we are adults, we dump the word obedience. Adults think in more in terms of “I am an adult and I can do what I want.” Submission to any kind of authority is more born by many out of a response to a paycheck than any other thing.

Obedience never becomes less important to God. One reason God so wants children to learn obedience is because it sets them up to obey Him and those in positions of authority as they become adults – ultimately bringing them to greater opportunity for success.

Let me show you this truth through these verses and then take the time to break them down for you so you can see the magnitude of them.

Exo 19:5-6 says, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…”

Let me expound on the words of these verses. “…obey me fully” means to know God’s character and desires which comes in time from reading and rereading the whole Bible and to know what He wants us to do and what He wants us to stay away from. It is more than that though. As we learn God’s Word and hide it in our hearts, He brings scriptures to memory and speaks to our hearts through them. It is how He prompts us and instructs our conscience to follow Him.

“Keep my covenant” means to understand that we are in a covenant relationship with God and we work to keep it. Let me use this illustration. Imagine you had an absolutely best friend in the whole word. This relationship is so tight and special that you wouldn’t do anything to mess it up. You are so close at heart and friendship that you would do anything for each other. You sincere attitude is “what is mine is yours” and you both feel that way toward each other. Now take that even one step higher in that you are also a business partners with a legal agreement. That is what a covenant relationship with God is. He has that kind of love toward us and makes Himself legally bound to us by His Word. (Even when we stumble and fall – something He will never do.)

The Lord says, “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant…,” then something precious will happen – “out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession.” Now God started out with that promise to the Jews – to Israel – those He chose to bring the revelation of Himself to the world through. After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He gave us the chance to also walk in that covenant as a part of His family through our faith in Jesus. We are also called a part of God’s “treasured possession in all the earth.” Are you starting to get the picture of how God feels about you? It is through the execution of full obedience that these blessings manifest in their fullest form.

God continues to tell us. “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Those are terms that are often hard to relate to today. Let me help you take hold of them. The word “kingdom” is referring to having dominion. You may feel as though dominion is the last thing you have any of in your life. Well, the beginning of exercising dominion is knowing that it belongs to you. Kings were taught from the time they were children, how to mature in the exercise of dominion. It would be critical to the health and well being of the people they would one day lead. It was a process of instruction. So it is for us – through faith!

Again He said, “You will be for me a kingdom of priests…” The Word priest had particular meaning to God. A priest was one that learned God’s Word and ways and then executed leadership in instructing others in His ways. The verse continued. “You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” “A holy nation” refers to a group of people set apart by God to represent with great boldness – His will in this earth.”

God spoke these words through Moses to Israel. They reach to us through Jesus Christ today. It’s not that difficult to relate to today. God tells us we are His treasured possession as we take in, learn, understand, and walk out obedience to His Word in our life. We become those that learn our faith and live it out with authority over Satan and in love to the world around us. We learn to communicate our faith, influence the world through and with it, and eventually lead others in it.

God also said the middle of this, “the whole earth is mine…” Why did He say that? Look at how Jesus walked in dominion in the earth. He walked like he owned it. He commanded demons as one who has authority and dominion. The supernatural came – not because He was God. He had laid down his deity. It came because He exercised faith in the covenant He was in with God – the same covenant He has asked us to partake of.

The learning of obedience – learning to obey God in the small and big things is what brings you into this special place of God. Is obedience important? I think so! More tomorrow.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org