TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD
He sent two of his disciples,
telling them, “Go into the city.”
MARK 14:13
Two disciples were given very detailed instructions to go to a certain town and look for a particular man performing a specific task. He’d have a large room, furnished and ready to observe the Passover. These instructions might have seemed unusual had it not been their Lord speaking, but the two disciples obeyed and found everything just as Jesus had said. Jesus knew exactly what they’d find, so He guided them specifically. One of the most memorable and precious times the disciples would spend with their Teacher hinged on the obedience of these two.
Obedience to Christ’s commands always brings fulfillment. His word is His promise. When the Lord gives you instructions, obey immediately. Don’t wait until you’ve figured it all out and everything makes perfect sense to you. Sometimes God leads you to do things you won’t fully understand until you’ve done them. He doesn’t usually reveal all the details of His will when He first speaks to you. Instead, He tells you enough for you to implement what He’s said, but He withholds enough information so that you must continue to rely on His guidance.
Your response to God will affect what He does next in your life. Your obedience may affect the way others around you experience Christ as well. If God’s given you a directive you haven’t obeyed, immediately obey that word and watch God’s perfect plan unfold in your life. You’ll experience His faithfulness as He fulfills His promises.
When we walk in intimate fellowship with Christ, we have the assurance that every promise God has made in Scripture is available to us. This truth should motivate us to search the Scriptures for each promise in order to meditate on its potential for our lives.
Jesus promised that when you ask for something in His will, He will give you what you ask (see John 16:23b). This promise is available to every Christian. If you ask God whether this promise applies to your life, His answer is yes. If you aren’t currently experiencing this promise, it doesn’t change the fact that God has said it. You may need to seek God’s answer for why His promise hasn’t yet reached maturity in you.
Paul claimed he’d tested each of these promises in his life and found them all to be abundantly true. That’s why he could speak of “the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7) and “the boundless riches of Christ” (3:8). Paul had found a wealth of God’s promises and enjoyed them all in abundance.
Don’t become discouraged or impatient if you aren’t experiencing to the fullest all God’s promises in your life. God may want to prepare you to receive some of the great truths He’s made available to you. Walk closely with your Lord, and in time you’ll see Him bring His promises to fruition in your life.
What promise in Scripture has been most significant in your past? Why?
What promise in Scripture gives you confidence for the future? Why?
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = stubborn rebellion; 10 = eager obedience), how obedient are you to God’s Word?
What was the most meaningful statement or Scripture you read today?
Reword the statement or Scripture into a prayer of response to God.
What does God want you to do in response to today’s study? [Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby (2014). Seven Realities for Experiencing God – Member Book. LifeWay Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]