My last blog post was about what happens when you refuse to do what God instructs you to do using Jonah as a prime example. God is our loving Father who not only tells us what He wants us to do; He also tells us what not to do and lets us know when it isn’t the right time. In response to our prayers and our plans, God may tell us yes, no or not yet. Whatever His instruction through His Spirit within us, it is always presented with love and concern for what is best for us.
I have been a child of God for more than six decades and I have experienced God’s loving encouragement, warning or instruction to wait for the right time countless times. The prompting and encouragement of the Holy Spirit to take action is actually the easiest to obey. That loving encouragement almost always involves service to others. Sharing God’s blessings with others is an integral part of life as a Christian and it has its own reward. It is my obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit that caused me to begin to share my Christian life and experiences with you in this blog. It is only through His help that I have been continuing to post twice a week for over three and a half years.
It is more difficult to obey when God says, “No!” Like a loving parent who warns a child not to touch something that is hot, God warns me when a temptation would have unpleasant consequences if I give in to it. On the occasions when I ignored His warning, I found myself in a real mess drifting away from my spiritual home. Like the Prodigal Son of Jesus’ parable (Luke 15:11-32), I humbly returned home and asked my Father to forgive me. Like the father in that parable, my heavenly Father has always welcomed me back with open arms and rejoiced that I was again home safe with Him.
The hardest instruction to obey is when God says, “Not now.” Patience is a virtue, but it not something that comes easy to us. Like a twelve-year-old who can’t understand why he or she can’t have the keys to the family car, we don’t realize why God wants us to wait until we gain the maturity to take on the responsibility that comes with our desire. It is only when God tells me, “Now you can go for it,” that I have understood why I had to wait.
I have heard some mega pastors say that when we accept Christ the Old Testament no longer applies to us, including the Ten Commandments. My experience over the years and Jesus’ own words tell me something different. Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why Ihavecome. Idid not come to abolish thelawof Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. (Matthew 5:17) As a child of God, it is the Holy Spirit within me that finally makes it possible for me to obey God’s law and His personal parental instructions.