Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
Excerpt of an email from a sister in the lord.
“You don’t have to understand what God says in order to obey Him; you just have to know it is God.”
Whenever God gives us a commandment, power to keep that commandment comes with it. If God gave us commandments but left us incapable of obeying them, He would be making us sinners just by speaking to us, for we would have no way to do His will.
We can obey God; it is just a matter of willingness to submit to His will. The excuse for sin that some offer of not understanding what He said will not hold up in the court of God’s justice. The “rest” that Jesus promised to those who trust in him includes rest from having to understand before we obey. Father Abraham did not understand where he was going when God spoke and called him out of his country. If he had been the kind of man who refused to obey the word of God until he understood it, we would never have even heard of Abraham. His bones would be buried beneath the sands of southern Iraq, long forgotten to mankind.
If we can pray in the Spirit and please God without our minds comprehending what the holy Ghost is saying through us, then we can live in the Spirit and please God without our minds comprehending the path that He is taking us on.
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Pastor John:
This message reminded me of the story you told in an Old Testament class about Abraham. When God told Abraham to put Hagar and Ishmael out, he did it immediately (even though it hurt him badly to do so). Abraham did the same thing when God told him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham arose early and took off toward the mountain with Isaac. Abraham acted quickly on what God told him to do. If we wait too long, we can talk ourselves out of anything.
Amanda