A House Of Prayer

† ~ Aw, Lord, Do I Have To? & Prayer and Peace ~ †

BIBLE STUDY

Title: Aw, Lord, Do I Have To?

Date: Nov 9, 2009

Topic(s): Obedience/Discipleship

Scripture: 1 Kings 11:4-11, Matthew 21:28-31, Luke 5:4-8, Exodus 3-4

Bible translators who work with languages that are not yet put into writing often struggle to find the right word or phrase to convey the correct meaning of a portion of Scripture. One worker hunted long to find a way to translate the word obedience into the tribal language he was recording but had no success.

One day, the translator was going for a walk; and he whistled for his dog to come with him. The dog immediately ran to its owner. An old tribal man who saw what happened said to the missionary, "Your dog is all ear."

The missionary immediately knew he had the exact phrase to express obedience.

Are you "all ear" when it comes to obeying God? Let's look at some lessons about obedience and disobedience today.

What Does God Say?

Read this from Luke 5:4-8 (ESV):

"And when [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch' And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'"

Jesus ran an "obedience school" for His disciples. He wanted them to learn to trust Him absolutely in every area of life. Peter hadn't been a disciple very long. He was weary from a night of unsuccessful fishing, and he felt he knew far more about fishing than Jesus did. But Jesus told him, "Go back out there on the water and try again."

Peter revealed his reluctance as he replied, "OK, Master, if you say so."

When the boats almost sank from the weight of the fish, Peter realized how sinful his attitude had been. He fell on his knees and said, "Lord, don't have anything more to do with this sinful man!"

My Thoughts

It's pretty irritating when your dog doesn't come the first or second time you call, isn't it? And you might say that it's downright infuriating when the dog just totally ignores you and keeps on doing its own thing when you call!

If a person willfully disobeys God, that is one thing; if he or she delays or reluctantly obeys God, that is another. But do you see how both attitudes show lack of faith?

Here is a Bible record of a person who willfully disobeyed God: Read 1 Kings 11:4-11.

Who was the person who disobeyed?

What did he do that angered God?

How many times had God told him not to do what he did?

What was the outcome of this person's disobedience?

Now, look at another person who was reluctant to obey God but changed his mind and later obeyed. Open your Bible to the Book of Exodus, chapters 3 and 4, and look at these verses about God's command to Moses to deliver the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

What did God want Moses to do (Exodus 3:10)?

What was Moses' first response to God's order (Exodus 3:11)?

What was Moses' second response (Exodus 4:1)?

What was his third response to God's order (Exodus 4:10)?

What was Moses' fourth reaction to God's command (Exodus 4:13)?

What was God's response to Moses' continuing reluctance to obey (Exodus 4:14-17)?

Someone has said, "Delayed obedience is disobedience." As long as you are reluctant to obey and you hold off doing something that God has told you to do, no matter what your intentions are, you are disobeying the Lord. And if you do finally get around to obeying, the blessing will never be as great as if you had obeyed the moment the Lord showed you what you should do.

My Part

Is God revealing anything to you these days that you ought to be doing but are delaying to do because of your lack of faith? Is there any area of your life where you are willfully disobeying Him?

Read Matthew 21:28-31 to see something Jesus had to say about willful disobedience and reluctant, delayed obedience.

Determine that you will no longer delay. Take the first step today to be obedient to God.

BIBLE MINUTE with Woodrow Kroll.  This Bible Study is from "Back to the Bible Ministries." http://www.bibleminute.org/  

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DEVOTIONAL

Author: Woodrow Kroll

Source: Early in the Morning 2

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 26:1-21

Prayer and Peace

With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early: for when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

One of the prevailing themes of both Old and New Testaments is the constant presence of peace in the hearts of those who abide in God. The prophet Isaiah said it this way, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). Literally Isaiah said, "Thou wilt keep him in peace, peace." Or God will keep us in double peace. He will give us a double portion of peace when our minds rest on Him.

Likewise in the New Testament Jesus taught His disciples that His very presence would bring them peace. He said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you" John 14:27). He told His disciples, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

The apostle Paul understood the principle of fixing our minds on God and enjoying His peace. He counseled the Colossian believers to "let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Colossians 3:15). If our minds are stayed upon God, His peace will rule the affairs entertained by our minds. If, on the other hand, we allow our minds to dwell on the cares of this world, God's peace will be far from our thoughts.

It is for this very reason that the apostle told the Philippian believers, "Be careful for nothing" or be full of care about nothing "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). The peace of God that garrisons our hearts and minds cannot exist alongside the cares of this life. Each of us must make the decision whether our minds will dwell on those things that trouble us or on the power of God to deliver us. A mind full of care can be a mind full of peace. The difference is only a prayer away.

Isaiah was in the habit of seeking God in the middle of the night. When the thick clouds of sorrow overshadowed his heart and he no longer could endure the disappointments of that day, he did not allow his mind to dwell on those disappointments, but rather on the Lord's deliverance. Rather than lay his head on a pillow of doubt, he would lay it on the pillow of dependence on the Lord God.

Isaiah continued, "Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early" (Isaiah 26:9). The experience of meeting the Lord in the darkness of midnight and having his mind freed from fear enabled the prophet to face the new day, eagerly awaiting an additional measure of God's peace. Thus he determined that his spirit would seek the Lord early, fully confident that the Lord would answer his prayer: "Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us" (Isaiah 26:12).

The pattern for dealing with the cares of this world is the same for us today. God has designed us to live at peace with Him, with our world and with ourselves. But we can do this only as we turn our cares over to Him in exchange for His ruling peace. Whatever difficulties you faced yesterday and wrestled with through the night last night, give them early this morning to the Lord, and let Him replace your cares with the comfort of His peace. Remember, God's peace is but a prayer away.

MORNING HYMN

Peace! peace! wonderful peace,

Coming down from the Father above;

Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,

In fathomless billows of love.

Content from Early in the Morning and Early in the Morning, Vol. 2.

Bible Study & Devotional from: Copyright © 1996-2009 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. (Back to the Bible) Used by permission. All rights reserved The Copyright Policy website: http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Web-Site-Copyright-Policy.html   Contact by e-mail: info@bibleminute.org or by Mail: Bible Minute, P.O. Box 82808 Lincoln, NE 68501 USA

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DAILY VERSE

Isaiah 1:18

'Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'

Thoughts on today's verse

Nothing stains quite like sin. It not only leaves a stain in our heart but a residue in our minds. But God's grace is shown in that he doesn't just forgive our sins, he doesn't just forget our sins, he banishes them. They are gone. The stain is removed, the guilt is taken away. We are clean by his grace.

Prayer:

O the joy your grace gives me! I can never thank you or praise you enough for rerouting my life so that it will end, and begin again, in you. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

Phil Ware, President of Heartlight Inc. Minister of the Word phil@heartlight.org  HEARTLIGHT® Magazine is produced by Heartlight, Inc. HEARTLIGHT is a registered service mark of Heartlight, Inc. PO Box 7044, Abilene, TX, USA 79608-7044. Copyright © 1996-2009

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NOTE: The Bible Study and the devotional are NOT my work; I had nothing to do with it other than to copy and paste it in this group.   It is solely authored and owned by "Back to the Bible,"and is posted by me so others will get spiritual benefits so to increase their walk with God.  GBU, JeL

† ~ Aw, Lord, Do I Have To? & Prayer and Peace ~ †

† Father, walk through the homes of those who read these devotionals / Bible studies and take away their worries and illnesses.  Please watch over and heal all those in their time of need; in the name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen†