Cost of Obedience

[forgiven]

by Os Hillman

Friday, February 4, 2005

Obedience With a Cost

Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble upon
this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.
Exodus 5:23

Have you ever felt like you have been obedient to the Lord for something He
called you to do and all you get are more roadblocks? This is the way Moses
felt. When Moses went to tell Pharaoh to release the people because God said so,
Pharaoh simply got angry and made the people make bricks without straw. Moses
caught the blame for this from the people. Moses was just learning what
obedience really means in God's Kingdom. You see Moses had not even begun to
release plagues upon Egypt. He hadn't even gotten started yet in his calling,
and he was complaining about his circumstances. There were many more encounters
with Pharaoh to come, and many more plagues with no deliverances in sight. Why
would God tell Moses that He is going to deliver them and not do it?

It was all in timing. God never said when He was going to deliver. He just said
He would. In the next chapter, we find Moses arguing with God about not being
capable of the job God had called him to:

But Moses said to the Lord, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would
Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?" Now the Lord spoke to
Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and He commanded
them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 6:12-13).

Do you get the feeling God was losing His patience?

God had a good reason for His delays. He said, "And the Egyptians will know that
I am the Lord when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites
out of it" (Ex. 7:5). God not only wanted the people of Israel but also the
Egyptians to know Him. It would be the greatest show of God's power on earth.

God often causes delays in our lives that we cannot understand. Sometimes it
seems our obedience is not getting rewarded. Jesus said He learned obedience
through the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8). Imagine that - Jesus having to
learn obedience. What does that say for you and me? Sometimes God's delays are
simply because He wants more glory in the situation, more recognition, more
Christ-likeness in you and me through greater patience and obedience. Faint not,
for the promise may yet come.

[Betty]

Title: Obeying God

And when they heard that, they entered into the
temple early in the morning, and taught.

There is a legend in Greek mythology about an old
sailor who was piloting his ship through the
rough waters of a stormy sea. In his extremity he
stood erect and cried to the gods, "Father
Neptune, you may sink me if you will, or you may
save me if you will, but whatever happens, I will
keep my rudder true!" While sailing the
tempestuous Aegean Sea, this old captain
exhibited the kind of determination necessary for
anyone who would stand by his convictions.

In the development of the early Church, the
apostles and early followers of the Lord Jesus
frequently found themselves at odds with the
Roman government and with the Jewish religious
establishment. Acts 5 records that the high
priest rose in indignation, accompanied by the
Sadducees, and cast the apostles into the common
prison for preaching in the name of Jesus of
Nazareth. But while they were incarcerated, an
angel of the Lord appeared, opened the prison
doors during the night, and set the apostles
free. The command of the Lord's angel was, "Go,
stand and speak in the temple to the people all
the words of this life." With renewed freedom and
determination the apostles "entered into the
temple early in the morning and taught" (Acts
5:21). Although they knew that teaching in the
name of the Lord Jesus would most certainly mean
additional imprisonment, these apostles obeyed
the word of the Lord rather than the wishes of
man.

When it came to the attention of the religious
officials that these apostles were again teaching
in the temple, the indignation of the Jews rose
to a fever pitch. The captain of the temple and
the chief priests once again brought them before
the council and the high priest asked, "Did not
we straitly command you that ye should not teach
in this name? And, behold ye have filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring
this man's blood upon us." Now the situation
worsened; the apostles were faced with the
decision whether to defy the direct orders of the
religious senate and avoid persecution or to
accept the persecution as a consequence of
standing up for their beliefs. As usual, Peter
was the spokesman, and he said, "We ought to obey
God rather than man." The die was cast. Unashamed
of the Gospel of Christ, these apostles chose
certain imprisonment rather than disobey the
direct command of God to preach in the name of
Jesus.

Frederick the Great once invited some notable
people to his royal table, including his
top-ranking generals. One of them was Hans von
Zieten, a devout Christian. Von Zieten declined
the emperor's invitation because he wanted to
attend a communion service at his church. At a
subsequent banquet Frederick the Great and his
guests mocked the general for his religious
beliefs and derided the Lord's Table. In great
peril of his life the officer stood to his feet
and said respectfully to the monarch, "My lord,
there is a greater king than you, a king to whom
I have sworn allegiance even unto death. I am a
Christian and I cannot sit quietly as the Lord's
name is dishonored, His character belittled, and
His cause subjected to ridicule. With your
permission I shall withdraw." The other generals
present at this occasion trembled in silence,
knowing that von Zieten might well be killed for
his stand. But to their surprise, Frederick
grasped von Zieten's hand, asked his forgiveness,
and requested that he remain. Frederick promised
that he would never again make light of such
serious spiritual matters.

Occasions do arise when we must obey God rather
than men. When they arise, we must be willing to
suffer the consequences, whether it be ridicule,
as in the case of Hans von Zieten, or even
imprisonment, as in the case of the apostles.
That to which we are subjected because of our
stand for Christ is not our concern. Our concern
is that we take the stand.

MORNING HYMN
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict
In this His glorious day.
Ye that are men now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger
And strength to strength oppose.


Author: Woodrow Kroll