Obedience part 4
Its a trust issue. Its getting to the point where we don't think, "I have to do this even though I don't want to... because I'm 'supposed to' obey." Look at 2 Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exaleth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Bringing our THOUGHTS into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Your thought life is so important. Setting your affection on things above and not on the earth. So important. Let me say it this way: You don't have to believe everything you think. I have random thoughts sometimes and I have to like literally check myself--where did that come from? And then lay it aside. Because bringing your thoughts into captivity isn't about thought chasing. Its about casting down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God--the knowledge of love. Anything that doesn't serve love... has got to go. Anything that isn't helping... is hurting. And our goal can never be to hurt. One of my all-time favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." If its not a God thought... a peaceful thought... a thought about love... why are you entertaining it? Why are you letting anything that doesn't serve (or obey) love into your life? I've said this before and I'll say it again: Turning the other cheek means not retaliating. It doesn't mean subjecting yourself to abuse. It doesn't mean putting, or keeping, yourself in a bad situation. Sometimes you need to shrug your shoulders. Move on. And here's my litmus test: Give it everything you've got. That's what love is--giving everything you are and everything you have. And once you've given something everything you've got its either enough... or its not. And either way you've done what you can do. So don't chase your thoughts around. If you have a weird one... just let it go. Mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter. Focus on what is good. What is God. What is love. Obedience is loving others as Jesus loves you. And we obey Him because we love Him. And we love Him because He first loved us. Obedience is receiving and releasing His love. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. Letting the love that HE put inside come out by knowing and believing that its in there. That's HE'S in there. Obedience isn't doing what we want against our will. Obedience is understanding what our will really is. Understanding that we were created to be loved and to love one another with that love. True obedience is just being who we are. Not who the world says you are. Not all of your mistakes piled up. But who your heavenly Father says you are. The righteousness of God in Christ. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. Obedience is just being who you are and doing what you were made to do. Not going against your nature, but knowing and embracing your new (TRUE) nature of love! Trust that you are who God says you are. Trust that He loves you. And be who you are by letting that love that's inside come out!