0819. Obedience and the Word

Obedience and the Word

"But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (Jam_1:22).

The Word of God holds a very vital place in obedience, because the Word of Gad conveys the will of God. The Word of God is authoritative. It says "Thou shalt," and its says "Thou shalt not."

The believer who listens to the voice of the people will never be an obedient servant. God's ways are as far from man's ways as the east is far from the west.

The believer who pleases himself will never prove an obedient servant. We are to say "no," to our self life. We are to crucify the flesh with the affections and desires thereof.

Obedience demands that we diligently search the Word, in order that we may do the things that are written therein (see Jos_1:8).

We must seek out of the Book of the Lord and read (see Isa_34:16), and then "whatsoever He saith" unto us we must do it.

Obedience can never go along, side by side, with a closed Bible. God will not speak with a voice, nor, by the impression of the mind, when He has spoken in His Word.

The obedient soul will let the Word of God dwell in him richly, strengthening and admonishing him.

The obedient soul will govern both doctrine and deed by the Word of God, because that Word will judge him in the days to come.

The obedient soul will never add to, nor subtract from the sure Word of Prophecy. For faith and practice, for doctrine and for duty, for creed and for conduct the Word of God will ever remain the unerring and authoritative guide.

Illustration: A woman, in one of our meetings, asked time to relate a message, which she said she had received from God. When we asked her what her message was she said: "Before I left home this morning, the Holy Spirit told me to tell this audience that Christ was not coming literally and visibly, but that He was coming spiritually and unseen." I told her God the Spirit did not tell her any such thing, because God never gives any directions or revelations contrary to His own written Word, and 1Th_4:16-18 says: "The Lord Himself shall descend," etc.

We must remember that the Word of God is the will of God and it is written for our obedience as well as for our faith.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR