A good soldier is known for his obedience. This is the strength of an army.
A proud king, with a great army following him, demanded the submission of a humble king of a small but brave nation. When the ambassadors from the proud king waited for a reply after having delivered their message, the humble king called one of his soldiers forward and told him to stab himself. He stepped forward and did so at once. A second soldier was called; he too obeyed immediately. A third was summoned; and he too was obedient to death.
“Go to your master,” said the king to the ambassadors, “and tell him that I have 3,000 such men; let him come.”
The king with such an army is not intimidated by proud men. Loyalty is stronger than numbers. It was the obedience of the one man, Christ Jesus, which destroyed the power of the kingdom of darkness. The time will soon come when the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ will see Satan crushed under their feet as well because of their obedience.
“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:19-20).
The same obedience that Christ demonstrated He is expecting from His followers. “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”. (Hebrews 5:7-9).
From the very beginning of the Christian life God expects obedience from those who put their trust in Him. Obedience to Him will save His people from the attacks of the evil one. It will save us from making the mistake of losing blessings by calling Him Lord, Lord and not doing what He says. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Obedience is not learned gradually. It is the step of faith necessary to assure victory. Obedience is expected at the very start of our Christian life. Age has nothing to do with a degree of obedience. Obedience is a decision of the will that every Christian can and should make by faith. Is this too costly? It is more costly if you fail to obey Him!
This world fell into the hands of Satan because of man’s disobedience and this world will be restored to peace under the Lordship of Jesus Christ by the voluntary obedience of His followers.
Do you know the blessings of obedience? There can be no blessing without it. Our Father in heaven expects every child of His to yield to Him in wholehearted obedience. The Christian can only enjoy God’s provision and see promises fulfilled in his personal life by obeying the Master. The very entrance into a blessed life demands the vow of absolute obedience.
Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior includes allegiance to His Lordship. It is not enough to become a Christian by agreeing with the truth of the Gospel. When the Holy Spirit makes His abode in our hearts He enters with a divine power that will not rest until His will is accomplished in us.
Even if obedience may be costly for the moment our Lord expects it from every believer. He Himself had to learn obedience through pain and sorrow. If He learned obedience by what He had to suffer so will we learn obedience by paying the price. Without the cross there can be no crown. We can not have two masters. We will serve one or the other.
Suffering will be the lot of every Christian whether it be because of obedience or disobedience. Our Lord promises, however, that His yoke will be easy and His burden will be light. Obedience will be less costly than disobedience. It is ours to choose the Master who we wish to rule over us. If you live to gratify the desires of the sinful nature you will become a slave to your passions which leads to death. God warns that those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who, on the other hand, have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires belong to Christ Jesus and will not see death but have eternal life with Him.
Our freedom in Christ allows us to obey whomever we wish. We are a slave to whatever or whoever has mastered us. (Read 1 Peter).
Do you want to be a good soldier of our Lord Jesus Christ and know the blessings of obedience? In this Herald we are giving encouragement to be a good soldier and to be victorious in spiritual warfare. A good soldier is known for his obedience. You can read more about the blessings of obedience if you will ask for the book, THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE. We will send it to you free of charge.
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