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“Whatever He says to you, do it.”

~ John 2:5

 

Good morning dear sister!

My prayer for us this morning is that we woke up with joy and gladness in our hearts! We have another day to serve the Lord of Lords and King of Kings! Hallelujah!

But wait….don’t we all have plans that already keep us busy? There are jobs to go to, houses to keep, kids to watch, groceries to buy, laundry to wash, activities to attend, pets to care for….and what about ‘me time’?

I get it, my sister, my life is just as packed as anybody's. But when I read that verse above and considered who said it, I understood it in a different way. 

Such a simple statement Mary uttered, to simple people. She spoke to servants at a wedding feast. They did not know Jesus and maybe were not even aware of His reputation. They had no reason to believe anything would come of filling the water pots except that the wedding guests would have water to drink when the wine ran out. (Probably not a popular idea) 

They had no faith in Jesus. But they were obedient to His word, and God was glorified!

Faith comes to life through obedience to God. Before you can have faith in God, you must give over your will, surrender your way of doing things, and submit to His instruction. It is not a ‘one and done’, but a lifetime relationship that is constantly submitted to the good and perfect will of our Abba.

Faith is built on the knowledge of what God has done in your life as you submit to Him. Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God. We have yet to see Him, but we know Him by His works in our own lives.

Sometimes we’re afraid that we might misunderstand His prompts. The disciples questioned some of Jesus’ plans, even though He was there with them in the flesh! We, too, make mistakes, but, just as Jesus didn’t abandon His disciples, God does not abandon us! We repent and move on, safe in the Father’s embrace.

Even when we hear a direct command from the Lord, we cannot accomplish it in our own strength, but must keep our eyes on Him to accomplish His task. Consider Peter, who when called to walk to Jesus on the water, promptly jumped over the side of the boat and started walking on the waves toward his Master! But what happened as soon as he took His eyes off Jesus? He started to sink, and the Lord had to rescue him. (Mt.14:29-32) Thank God that He rescues us from our foolishness as well!

We moms, wives and organizers, sometimes like to help God plan out His will for us. We might think about something He’s told us to do and proceed to weigh the pros, cons, and most efficient way to get His will done. We end up doing God’s work our way, usually resulting in partially or completely ignoring His plan. 

For example, my two year old grandson usually drinks out of a sippy cup. While visiting the other day, I gave him his drink in a cup with a lid and a straw! I knew he would enjoy that and he did, until his milk was almost gone. Then, he tried tipping the cup with the straw in his mouth to get that last bit in the bottom. No matter how many times I showed him how to get that last bit of milk out, he insisted on his way. He never did get the full drink that I had given him. His refusal to be obedient to my will cost him part of the good thing I had for him. 

How often do we miss out on God’s goodness because we insist on our own way?

Or, we think about being obedient but become afraid of all the ‘what ifs’ that come to mind. Keep in mind, dear sister, that it is not God who puts those thoughts in your head. When we are obedient to our doubts and fears, rather than obedient to the words of life and love that come from God, we are showing more faith in ourselves than in God. And, even if the end result seems good at the time, who does it glorify?

Serving the Lord, staying in a life-sustaining relationship with Him, can seem hard on our weak flesh. When He finally brings us beside those still waters we may be tempted to just hang out there for a year or two, or forever, but that day of rest and reward won’t come until we hear those blessed words, “well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

My hope and prayer for each of us is that we will find peace and joy in our obedience to Christ. His burden is light when we’re not dragging the weight of our own desires along, or making things more difficult by insisting on our way. 

Whatever He says to you, just do it and be blessed!

And….. keep loving Jesus and moving forward!

With love, your sister, Celeste