disobedience

What Is Godliness? Part Two

~ jma47 ~ Leave a comment

Remember what happened when Moses encountered two exact situations? In Exodus 17 the children of Israel had no water. In verse 6 the Lord instructed Moses. “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out…”

In Numbers 20 they again had no water. In verse 8 the Lord told Moses, “…speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water…” Moses was angry at the people’s complaining and in ungodliness he disobeyed the Lord.

Verse 11 says, “Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly…” Yet, his act of independence from the Lord cost him. Verse 12 says, “…Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Distractions: Fear Of Man

~ jma47 ~ Leave a comment

We can learn a lesson from king Saul’s failed mission. The crux of his disobedience was couched in excuses. Let’s pick up the scene from 1 Samuel 15.  

God had given Saul specific instructions. Verse 3 says, “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them…”

Verse 9 says, “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best…and were unwilling to utterly destroy them…” Saul’s disobedience led to his dismissal as king. Verse 22 says, “…Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

What distracted Saul from his mission? Verse 24 says, “…I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” Let us not fall into Saul’s sin. Let Paul’s example influence and fortify your desire to serve the Lord only. Galatians 1:10 says, “…For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”