E20 - Obeying the Will of GOD - How It is done - Part 1 of 2

Hope's Harbor Podcast - Gritty Bible Devotions

I must apologize. The titles of E20 and E21 got mixed up in my covid brain. It may be I should have waited before resuming the podcast. It's just that I missed sharing GOD's encouragement through these devotions. Regardless, I made corrections as much as I could and ask for your patience and understanding. When taken together E20 and E21 present a look at obeying GOD's sovereign will, that part of His will He will not change no matter how much we pray otherwise; and His permissive will, that part of His will in which He allows us the freedom to choose options available to us throughout life. Thank you -
What do you think of when obeying the will of GOD comes to your attention? Is there dread, or fear, or even indifference?
It will help you to pray before listening today and ask GOD to give understanding about His will. After all, GOD wants us to know His will in order to obey it. A good prayer for this is found in Ephesians 1:18 where Paul prayed for the following: ' the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,'
Full show notes at hopesharbor.net
Episode #20

Title: Obeying the Will of GOD – How it is Done

Date: September 20, 2021

Contact: [e-mail]

Key verse(s): Luke 6:46 - "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?"

Intro: During a bout last week with the Delta variant of covid-19 I was so sick I couldn’t pray. It was the prayers of GOD’s people that stood between me and death for a couple of days until, by the efforts of doctors and staff in ICU, I began to improve.

During several long nights when I couldn’t sleep I read my Bible and I came across the passage in Luke where a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked a question.

Luke 18:18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus told him to obey the commandments. The man said he’d kept them since his youth.

Jesus gave him one more thing to do: Luke 18:22 ‘So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."’

Even in my virus dimmed mind what Jesus said leaped out at me and rang a bell.

I thought about what this meant to me. For the ruler it was specific. He was rich it says in another passage in Luke 18:18, and he went away saddened because the cost for him to follow Jesus was too high for him.

But for me, after thinking through Jesus’ words throughout that night and several following I began to realized the command was for me to release all sense of possessing …

What does this have to do with obeying GOD’s will?

Devotion focus: There is more to knowing GOD’s will than reading it in the Bible. That is knowing as in the letter of Scripture and knowing the spirit of GOD’s will.

The first, the letter, or what is written of GOD’s will when followed as a burden can lead to legalism. The second, understanding the spirit of GOD’s will helps us understand what GOD intends for us when we obey His commands.

One example of this is found in John 15:10 – “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.”

It goes without saying we are to obey GOD, and here the promise is if we obey His commandments we will abide in His love.

For full show notes go to hopesharbor.net
Next week’s devotion: Part 2: Knowing the Will of GOD – How to discover it

Show notes at HopesHarbor.net