Deuteronomy 10-12; Mark 9:30-50
As parents, we feel most loved when our kids listen and obey us. Good parents want what is best for their kids, even if our kids can't see why they need to follow the rules immediately. Truth is, the rules are made so that they will be safe and grow into a life that has good foundation. We read today how God is like a parent for us. In fact, God is the ultimate parent to us, not because of the rules He makes, but because of the care He has for us. He knows us better than even our own parents know us. When we choose to commit ourselves to Him, the rules come naturally as we strive to please Him and do right by Him.
We read that the Lord requires us to to do some simple things to show our allegiance to Him: To respect Him and His authority in our lives. To live according to His will for us. To love Him. To worship Him. To obey Him. It's so easy to complicate faith with the man-made legalism. We never have to jump through hoops to meet God. He is open to us 24/7, no matter how messed up we are, or how ashamed we are. He has already taken care of us through the sacrifice on the cross. We only need to acknowledge and accept it.
When we are most tempted to to disobey God, it is because we don't trust that He has the best plan for us. Trust that God will still provide for you if you give to Him. Trust that He will bring you exactly what you need in this moment. I think we get fearful to defend the outcasts and love those who are on the outside, yet God calls us to love them, specifically the outsiders, the orphans, and the widows. Learn to trust Him as you strive to serve Him. Start small. You aren't called to go big, but to simply love, even if it's one life.
There is great blessing in obedience. We may feel restricted at times by obeying, but in the bigger picture, you will see the blessing that comes from obedience. We are called to teach our children these commands, and permeate our lives with them. When we follow the commands that God gives us, we save ourselves a world of hurt and cleaning up in the end. We end up weighed down by our guilt and shame. However, in obedience, we are told in verse 8 of chapter 11 that we will experience strength.
As we read into Mark chapter 9 today, we learn about some of the characteristics it takes to be holy as we strive to obey God's commands and show our love for Him. One of the things Jesus teaches His disciples is when they were arguing who was the greatest. Jesus explains that to be first, you must be last. In other words, a heart of humility is a huge part of having a heart purified for Christ. When we make humility priority, we stop thinking about our situations, what we want, what we think is best, what we deserve, etc, and we begin to put Christ and others ahead in our minds. Because of humility, we'll stop asking ourselves the question "if I help that person, what can I get back from them?" Jesus shows this by placing a child in His arms and says how welcomed they are. Our love for those who are lesser will also purify our hearts.
The disciples also told Jesus that they had told someone to stop trying to cast out demons because he wasn't apart of "their group". Does this sound familiar somewhere in your life? Jesus says however, that if someone isn't against them, they are for them. Don't stop people from trying to find their faith and trust in Jesus. Obey Christ and allow others to as well.
Finally, in Mark 9, we read about cutting things out of our lives that drag us down. Jesus uses our body parts, like hands, eyes, feet as pictures of getting rid of the toxic things in our lives. We may have people in our lives that continually cause us to sin or question who we are as a child of the King. Those people need to be cut out. We may continually turn to something that we know is keep us from growing in our Savior. Those things also must go. Jesus doesn't want you to actually cut off a body part, but He is displaying how serious of a matter it is to cut those things out that cause you to stumble. Make sure that you are not one to cause others to stumble as well.
Showing our love for Christ comes with obedience to Him. We will fall many times and stumble over things, but we must continually strive to follow His commands and humble ourselves to be open to His leading in our lives. What is something in your life that needs to go? What is causing you to stumble and question who you are in Christ? Get rid of it. Show you trust that God's plan is better than yours by trusting Him with whatever He brings you. He truly knows what you need most and will equip you to face what is coming. Love Him by showing your trust and obedience to Him.
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