Again He sets a definite day, [a new] Today, [and gives another opportunity of securing that rest] saying through David after so long a time in the words already quoted, Today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts.
Show of hands: how many of us enjoy being told what to do? As I child, I remembered thinking that my parents were brutes. They constantly told me what to do, where to go and how to do things. Many times, I simply refused to do the things they required and I paid the consequence for it. But isn’t that what we do with God? He lovingly implores us to forsake our own wisdom and rely on Him and we do the opposite. He pleads with us to conduct ourselves with patience, kindness, long-suffering, and self-control. Instead, we’re haughty, self-absorbed and insensitive.
As children of the Most High God, it is our responsibility to listen to our Father when He speaks to us. We cannot harden our hearts and turn away from His instructions. Doing so opens doors to calamity, needless pain and confusion. We do not have the luxury of picking and choosing which things we will obey. Selective hearing is not allowed for believers. We cannot obey half of what God says and expect Him to move freely in our lives. Let’s look at what happened with King Saul, King David’s predecessor.
King Saul was instructed to wait seven days for the prophet Samuel to arrive. At that time, the prophet would offer up peace offerings to the Lord to ensure victory against the Philistines. During the seven days, however, the king and his people suffered devastating setbacks. They became afraid and desperate. Even though King Saul was forbidden from performing any offerings before the lord —that was the prophet’s job—he did so. He became impatient, afraid and desperate to prove that he was a king who could lead his people to victory. For refusing to listen and obey God’s instructions, Saul lost his kingdom and his reign came to an end.
We do not get to pick and choose which of God’s instructions we will follow. Remember, doing a good thing at the wrong time or with the wrong motives, is still the wrong thing to do. If we really want God to be Sovereign in our lives and guide us in how to conduct ourselves, we must be open to hear what He is saying. We must be receptive and obedient. The word of God says that we should not be hearers of the word but doers as well. If you hear what God says and refuse to respond to it then you are operating in disobedience and pride. You are setting yourself up for failure, pain and disappointment. Taoists believe in carefully weighing each action before taking it. Before you decide to choose what you’ll hear, make sure you’ve weighed the consequences.
Show of hands: how many of us enjoy being told what to do? As I child, I remembered thinking that my parents were brutes. They constantly told me what to do, where to go and how to do things. Many times, I simply refused to do the things they required and I paid the consequence for it. But isn’t that what we do with God? He lovingly implores us to forsake our own wisdom and rely on Him and we do the opposite. He pleads with us to conduct ourselves with patience, kindness, long-suffering, and self-control. Instead, we’re haughty, self-absorbed and insensitive.
As children of the Most High God, it is our responsibility to listen to our Father when He speaks to us. We cannot harden our hearts and turn away from His instructions. Doing so opens doors to calamity, needless pain and confusion. We do not have the luxury of picking and choosing which things we will obey. Selective hearing is not allowed for believers. We cannot obey half of what God says and expect Him to move freely in our lives. Let’s look at what happened with King Saul, King David’s predecessor.
King Saul was instructed to wait seven days for the prophet Samuel to arrive. At that time, the prophet would offer up peace offerings to the Lord to ensure victory against the Philistines. During the seven days, however, the king and his people suffered devastating setbacks. They became afraid and desperate. Even though King Saul was forbidden from performing any offerings before the lord —that was the prophet’s job—he did so. He became impatient, afraid and desperate to prove that he was a king who could lead his people to victory. For refusing to listen and obey God’s instructions, Saul lost his kingdom and his reign came to an end.
We do not get to pick and choose which of God’s instructions we will follow. Remember, doing a good thing at the wrong time or with the wrong motives, is still the wrong thing to do. If we really want God to be Sovereign in our lives and guide us in how to conduct ourselves, we must be open to hear what He is saying. We must be receptive and obedient. The word of God says that we should not be hearers of the word but doers as well. If you hear what God says and refuse to respond to it then you are operating in disobedience and pride. You are setting yourself up for failure, pain and disappointment. Taoists believe in carefully weighing each action before taking it. Before you decide to choose what you’ll hear, make sure you’ve weighed the consequences.
©2010-2013 Minister Claretta Taylor Pam, Global Ecumenical Ministries Inc. and Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts. All Rights Reserved
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