Perfect Obedience

By Pat

We all know the story of Mary and Joseph and the events surrounding and leading up to the most wonderful miracle ever...the birth of Jesus. I love reading and hearing it, that glorious announcement that Mary would give birth to the Son of God, despite overwhelming obstacles. What a privilege! What an honor! I usually focus on the magnificence of the holy events surrounding the birth of a King, the Savior of the world. But when I read it this morning, I was struck by the complete and utter trust and the perfect obedience shown to God by Mary.

Mary knew all the ramifications of this unexplainable and unplanned pregnancy. She had to have been scared. Everything she and Joseph had planned was now changed, and she didn't know why...only that God chose her. So, instead of arguing and presenting her case to God about how difficult this would be, she obeyed. She gave herself as His vessel. How I long to be more like her...but I would guess most of us are not. I'm certainly not.

The excuses used to justify our reluctance and hesitancy in obeying calls from God are many; too old, too young, too poor. Too busy, too dumb, too slow. Too inexperienced, too shy. If something is out of our comfort zone, we argue that we must have misunderstood what God is communicating to us-God would never ask us to do something that seems, to us, preposterous. Right? Wrong! In my heart, I know that God would do exactly that. There are countless examples in scripture of God using the seemingly improbable to accomplish the absolutely impossible, for God always equips us with every tool we need to be effective servants in His work..if only we will obey His call, as Mary did.

So when God presents us with an opportunity to serve Him, let's push aside our fears, stop arguing with God, and boldly say, "Here am I...send me." We will never know what complete and humble obedience can accomplish for the Lord until we truly trust...and OBEY.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her." (Luke 1:38)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Clear Vision

By Pat

I have finally reached the age that I need to wear glasses for reading purposes, anything close-up, so I bought some "readers" and use them for most of my smaller print reading. When used for this purpose, they are perfect. But yesterday, I left them on while I was walking around the house, and had to take them off. Everything that wasn't in my immediate sight was blurry and distorted and I'm lucky I didn't walk into a wall and bust my head open!

My faith is sometimes just like that. If I can't make sense of what is going on right now, I try to peer into the future and create scenarios for the days ahead that are blurry and distorted. I worry about the days ahead. I forget that today is the only day I have to reckon with, and that by focusing only on what's close-up and right in front of me, and trusting God with my tomorrows, I will be given what I need to successfully complete my tasks for TODAY. Only God can see the distance clearly. My perceptions may be inaccurate and unfocused, but God already has my future mapped out. If I focus on and live just for today, I can see clearly. God can handle the rest...I just need to trust and obey.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  (Matthew 6:33-34)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Feeding Sheep

By Pat

In John 21:15-19, Jesus is having a conversation with Peter. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. Each time, Peter answers yes, and each time Jesus commands Peter to "feed his sheep."

It's easy to proclaim our love for Jesus, but the true test is the feeding of the sheep. Are we obeying Jesus? Reaching out to others in need, offering a word of comfort or encouragement? Giving unselfishly, sharing our faith, and praying with genuine concern for our brothers and sisters? These are just some of the many ways in which we feed His sheep.

Following Jesus requires more than lip service. Faith requires movement, and love requires action. We need to find a way each day to feed God's sheep, to minister to a world greatly in need of kindness and love. We need to take every opportunity to feed the sheep around us, in whatever way it can be done. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, and therefore must take action and touch the world with God's love. Telling Jesus we love Him is great; showing Him is even greater!

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

What Can God Do Through You?

By Pat

In Mark 5:1-20, we learn the account of the demon-possessed man who encountered Jesus. We read about the classic battle of good vs. evil, and that, of course, Jesus triumphs over evil by sending the man's evil spirits into a herd of pigs who rush down a steep bank and are drowned.

I have read this story many times, and the overriding theme to me has always been the great healing power of Jesus, and His ability to overcome evil. But this morning when I read it, a point I had never noticed before stood out to me. The grateful man, now free of his demons, begged Jesus to let him go with Him, but Jesus said no. He had other plans for the newly freed man. He told him to go and tell everyone what Jesus had done for him, and the man obeyed. It wasn't what he had in mind, but never the less, he did what Jesus told him to do.

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One Word At A Time: Obedience

By MAD21

Every couple of days, my friend and fellow blogger Bridget Chumbley chooses a word and writes about it. Last week, a bunch of us on Twitter decided that we would all write on one topic this week and then do a blog carnival over at our friend Peter’s blog. So when we were all talking about what to write on, I opened my big mouth and suggested obedience. We’ve been having some issues with it in our home, and for some reason, the word just popped out of my head and through my fingers and I typed it without thinking first. It was, of course, the topic everyone chose. So, here goes nothing…

I asked my family: “What does it mean to be obedient?”

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