“If you just listen and don’t obey . .” James 1:23 NLT

“To obey is to do fully and promptly what you know clearly to do!”

My thoughts today are that “simple obedience.”

Have you ever noticed that when a child does not promptly obey, a parent will usually ask, “Did you hear me?” In the Greek language, the language in which most of the New Testament was written, the word obedience comes from the root word, “to hear.” Life is this simple; hearing presumes obedience.

It is a mistake to assume that a person will do better if they know more. So we give them more information, and wonder why they do not do better. More information is not what a wrongdoer needs. I have observed that the real problem is this: people are naturally inclined to do too little of what they know, rather than their knowing too little of what to do. Jesus gives people greater truth, not more information, and adds inspiration to that - the desire and power to do what you know to do. “It is God that works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.

I was just a teen when my spiritual life was permanently changed at a youth service by a testimony from the newly saved mother of one of my friends. Whatever else she said, God spoke quietly but powerfully into my heart and life when she challenged us with a probing question Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?” Luke 6:46 NIV. Read Matthew 7:24-27. If Jesus is your Lord, your obedience is not optional.

Jesus told a story of a father who asked each of his two sons to work in his vineyard. The first son said that he would not work, but later decided that he would do as his father asked. The other said that he would work in the vineyard, but ultimately did not. He knew what his father wanted, and simply chose not to bother. Jesus asked his listeners, “Which son did the will of the father?” Matthew 21:28-31 NIV.

The correct answer is, neither. They both had sufficient information of their father’s need and intent, but neither of them had sufficient interest to do what they knew. You are never commended for eventually doing what you knew to do much earlier. Procrastinated obedience is actually just temporary disobedience. To obey is to do fully and promptly what you know clearly to do! See James 5:1 NLT.

James, the brother of Jesus, compares God’s Word and will to a mirror that reveals a true and accurate reflection of yourself that inspires you to live according to the knowledge you have. But James warns against turning away and ignoring what you know. That describes a person who “listens but does not obey . . one who looks intently at the (Word of God) and abides in it . . that man will be blessed in all he does.” James 1:23/25.  If you will take care of the “doing, “ God will be faithful with His “blessing.”

My prayer for you today is that you know the will of God for your life, and do it!

“We are not unaware of (Satan’s) schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV

“There is a place in your heart that God alone can fill.”

My thoughts today are about “be wary; be wise.”

Whether in life or business, it is always best to have some understanding about the person with whom you do business. That is definitely true in the realm of your spiritual life. The enemy of your soul, and enemy of everything that is good, is neither naïve or harmless. Jesus described him like this, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy . . Be alert; your enemy, the devil, prowls around . . looking for someone to devour.” John 10:10 NIV/1 Peter 5:8 NIV. Make no mistake; he is no friend.

Your spiritual enemy has the character of a thief and liar. You cannot believe anything he says or promises, and nothing you value is safe from his destructive intent – your good name and reputation, your hopes and happiness, or your dreams and future. His method is, and always has been, to look for easy prey. His unrelenting objective is to kill and destroy. And he succeeds when he lulls you into carelessness. Your best defense is: be wary; be wise!

You were born with a place in your heart that God alone can fill. Nothing, and no one, can fill that. Some people try anything and everything – every unconstrained appetite, thrill-seeking amusement, irrational relationships, and personal achievements – but usually are left emptier and lonelier than when they began. That’s really sad, isn’t it?

Jesus met a woman like that; she came thirsty to draw water from a familiar well. Jesus told her “the water that I give is living water . . people soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether . . becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:5-15 NLT. Her search was over; her deepest longing was satisfied. What Jesus promises you is found nowhere else, ever.

Look at the lives of Joseph and David. Both faced similar temptations. Who would know? One was in a foreign country far from home; the other was a King none dare challenge or correct. Joseph reacted to Potiphar’s wife in a vastly different way than David responded to Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. David looked and kept looking until there was no turning back; the results were disastrous. Joseph turned and ran away quickly; he saved himself. I love the question Joseph asked, “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9 NIV. That’s a very good question when you or a friend are about to compromise your faith and convictions.

The Bible’s advice is still the best advice today. “If sinners entice you, turn your back on them . . don’t go along with them. Stay far away from their paths.” Proverbs 1:10/15 NLT. Realize there are chances you should not take, habits you cannot afford, compromises you dare not make, places you should not be, and friends whose influence is not to your good. Be wary; be wise!

My prayer for you today is that you live right before God, and stay far from wrong.

“Remove the obstacles out of the way.” Isaiah 57:14 NIV

“Fighting against God is not a battle you can win.”

My thoughts today are about “obstacles.”

Ever feel like someone or something is in your way? You know you could do so well, if only there was nothing hindering your progress. Occasionally there is a person who stands between you and where you need to go, limiting what you need to do – or at least you think that is the case at the time. You can blame them; you can resent them; you can try to remove them, but that will seldom work for you. people can “get in your way” and not even mean to do so.

It is even possible that God might “get in your way” in some instance. If and when that happens you can be sure that it is His love, preventing you from continuing on a path that would be not be for your best, harmful even ruinous. Ever try to fight against God? How is that working for you? That happened to Saul of Tarsus, until there was a showdown on the road to Damascus. Read Acts 9:1-20. Saul found out that he was in God’s way. His intention was to destroy this new and growing group of Christ’s followers. He meant well; he meant to preserve the Jewish faith in which he had been so excellently schooled. But he was wrong, sincere but very wrong. See Philippians 3:1-11 NLT.

God loves you too much to allow you to prosper on a path you should not pursue. He will try at every turn to persuade you to turn around and turn to Him, not away from Him. “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death . . what you think is the right road may lead to death.” Proverbs 14:12 NLT/16:25 TEV. God may use people and/or circumstances to make you reconsider your course. The Bible gives wise advice in such moments, “if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you even find be found to fight against God.” Acts 5:38-39 NKJV. Fighting against God is not a battle you can win; ask Jacob. Genesis 32:24-31 NIV.

However, let me suggest where you more likely may find most of the obstacles that make your progress more difficult – look in the mirror. Many times, the obstructions you must confront are wrong attitudes that you indulged along the way, maybe without recognizing them as such.

Negativity turns you in a wrong direction. “A pessimist looks at every opportunity and sees a problem; an optimist looks at any problem and sees an opportunity.” (President Harry Truman). Look around; people do not follow negative people; it’s clear they’re going nowhere.

Over-sensitivity leaves you beside the road alone. It is deadly to relationships to think that everything is about you. It’s not! Don’t be so thin skinned. Others are too busy to be always worrying about you.

Pride results in God’s opposition. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV/Proverbs 16:18 NIV. You want God on your side, helping you not opposing you. Can you see any habit or attitude that prevents you from being your best, and doing what you need to do? Deal with it quickly and honestly; you can turn any stumbling block into a stepping stone, if you will.

My prayer for you today is that you let nothing stand in the way of being your best.

“Don’t just do the minimum that will get you by.” Colossians 3:23 The Message

“Life does not afford you maximum reward from minimal effort.”

My thoughts today are about “minimal effort.”

In life, I have discovered that you usually get what you give. The Bible teaches that principle in many ways. Consider the principle of sowing and reaping, “sow bountifully, reap bountifully; sow sparingly, reap sparingly.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NIV/See Galatians 6:7-10 NLT. Life does not afford you maximum reward from minimal effort. That may not be the way that any of us wish it were, but that’s the way the real world works. There is a consistently proportional relationship between your efforts and your results. Today’s verse teaches the same, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” Colossians 3:23 NIV. You can try life another way or you can cooperate with God’s way.

I find that true in all kinds of ways. You should have learned that at home, but loving parents may want to spare their kids from those kind of realities early on, so they require little and then are surprised when their kids don’t volunteer to do much else and start life assuming everything should be done for them and little expected of them. Not a very good beginning for life.

Then comes school. School is a student’s job; it’s work. And it is training for how life works. Often how well you do in the classroom and studies suggests your later success. To receive maximum benefit from your education, you must give maximum effort to your study. Study – which involves time and effort – produces better grades. Do only what you have to do to pass, and that’s all you will ever do, just get by. As home prepares you for success at school, school prepares you for success at work. And work prepares you for success in life.

Early in your working career you will face this same truth. You can survive financially with minimal effort, but you will have minimal wages to show for it. Satisfaction, and meaningful contribution, and personal fulfillment are better goals. They allow you to enjoy a pride of accomplishment, a knowledge that your life was invested in meaningful ways to your own and others’ benefit. Money is not the better goal of your working years. But money, the currency for which you are trading a part of your life daily, is not unimportant. Maximum financial reward can afford you options and offer you opportunities that you would not otherwise have.

Now consider the most important motivation for giving your best effort. Maximum effort honors God. “Don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master – for God – confident that you will get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.” Colossians 3:23-25 The Message. I would suggest that being a follower of Jesus only makes minimal effort more glaring and unacceptable. A few years ago, I felt the Lord speaking to my heart this life principle – “Excellence, a higher standard.” I highly recommend it to you. See 1 Corinthians 14:12 NKJV.

My prayer for you today is that you never accept good enough as good enough.

“These . . hired last . . you paid the same as you paid us.” Matthew 20:12 Today’s English version

“Work happily for what you agreed upon without comparison or complaint.”

My thoughts today concern the reality that “life’s not fair.”

Children, even the youngest, seem to have a heightened sense of what they see to be fair play. Their worst accusation about another child appears to be, “They don’t play fair.” Kids count who has the most, track who goes first, make sure they get their turn, and microscopically measure their share of anything with the exactness of a CPA and the precise skill of a surgeon – all in the self-interest of fair play, at least for themselves anyway.

I love the story of a practical mother whose two boys, always argued who got the biggest piece, of anything. Finally, exasperated by their fussing, she observed that somebody always felt the other unfairly got a bigger share. And usually that was true – “mistakenly” a little bigger, and of course “unintentional.” She set a simple rule – whichever brother did the dividing, the other boy chose first! Sadly, I find myself occasionally with a carnal attention to getting my fair share, preferably with a little extra just for good measure, well deserved, I easily persuade myself.

If you have not already discovered this – right or wrong, like it or not – life is not always fair at any given moment and was never promised to you as being that. If you were expecting life to be fair, the sooner you are “dis-illusioned” of that, the sooner you have a chance of being happier.

Today’s verse is a complaint made by workers who wrongly took exception when others were paid the same as they, though they had worked less of the day. Read Matthew 20:1-16. They complained about neither the work nor the promised wage; they received exactly what they had agreed to work for, a day’s wage for a day’s work. They complained that by comparison, it seemed unfair. That happens so easily, almost without your intent and before your notice – and then you are unhappy, discontent, and complaining to God and others.

Comparison seems to breed complaint. Don’t compare yourself with others; be yourself! Don’t compare what you have with what others have; “Be content with what you have . . say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper.’” Hebrews 13:6 NIV.

Jesus concluded His story with the employer’s explanation, “I have not been unfair . . didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? It is wrong for me to do what I want with what is my own? Should you be angry because I am kind.” Matthews 20:13-16 NLT. See 2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV.

Peter apparently felt life was unfair when Jesus told him of the trouble ahead for him. His immediate inclination was to point at John and ask about John’s fate, “What about him?” Jesus redirected Peter to his own walk of faith, “What is that to you? You must follow Me.” John 21:21-22. The grace gifts God gives to you or others are of His provision and concern alone. Until you can be thankful for what you have, why would you be given more of the same?

Here’s a practical application for everyday life that I draw from Jesus’ story: work happily for what you agreed without comparison or complaint. Give an honest day’s work for a full day’s wage – as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:22-24 NLT.

Why take a job and then complain about the work, or the people you work with, or the person you work for? No one can make you work there, if you are unhappy there; no one can make you happy there, if you don’t want to be there. You alone determine your happiness. Life is not always fair; Jesus is!

My prayer for you today is to become less concerned about the score, and start enjoying the game.