Tuesday Morning Epistles

Welcome to "Tuesday Mornings"—now read by Christians in more world areas than there are days in a leap-year February.
 
This week's "TM" is entitled, "Wake up, People!"  The words appeared in television commercials during the Super Bowl Championship, introducing television watchers to a Diet Pepsi ad that showed people nodding off to sleep while on their jobs. But when the workers drank the new diet "Max" drink (containing  extra caffeine and Ginseng extract) not only were they instantly alert but they also started nodding their heads to the beat of the music. Sometimes we need a blast in our ears to get us going spiritually. We get so used to hearing the "good news" of the Gospel that we drop off to sleep when we should be wide awake and listening. When was the last time you heard a "fire and brimstone" sermon? Did you follow my recent advice to read through "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"—a sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards in 1741? We all ought to read that sermon annually to get our evangelistic juices flowing.
 
Actually, there are plenty of warnings in the Old Testament to stir us to action. The book of Proverbs is full of them. Here is one: "Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey them and live" (7:1-2 NLT). While negative language about obedience is not used in this context, the meaning is clear: "Disobey my commands and die." Solomon was saying, "Listen up." Or, "Wake up, people!" Same meaning. Jesus nailed it down: "If you love me, obey my commandments." (John 14:15)
 
Continue reading whenever you are ready. Then look for ways where you can obey the commands of God in your life this week. You will be glad you did.
 
Tom Barnard
A Senior Encourager
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“Wake up, People!”

Tom Barnard

 

D

id you see the television commercial during the pro football season that showed the owner of the Dallas Cowboys as he burst into a sound booth high above the playing field, grabbed the headset from the person who was calling the offensive plays, and shouted, “Wake up, people!”? Awesome.

 

The author of Proverbs spoke with equally memorable sound-bites when he quoted God as saying,

 

“Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey them and live! Guard my teachings as your most precious possession. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.” (Proverbs 7:1-4 NLT)

 

Let’s begin today with an English lesson.

What is a synonym for obedience?

Submission…devotion…observance…approval…reverence…conformity…faithfulness.

What is a synonym for disobedience?

Rebellion…revolt…apostasy…defiance…anarchy…lawlessness…tyranny…hostility.

 

One thing seems clear to me: Disobedience is not the opposite of obedience. Rather, anarchy is the opposite of obedience. Those who disregard the laws of the land are not being disobedient. They are living in defiance of the law. They act as if there is no law that applies to them. They set their own standards. They do not yield to anyone’s authority. For them, disobedience is not just ignorance of the law; it is hostility to the law. They are not passive about the law; they are actively resistant to the law.

 

Solomon was saying, “Obey the commands of God and you will live. Defy them and you will die.” That’s pretty straight-forward, isn’t it? But Solomon said more than that. He said, “Treasure (God’s) commands.” And he continued: “Guard (God’s) teachings as your most precious possession…Write them deep within your heart.”

 

Jesus went even further than Solomon. He said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” (John 14:15) And his command came with a promise: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

 

What was the advice Solomon gave in terms of living in obedience to the commands of God?

  • Receive them. “Follow my advice, my son…” Don’t struggle against God’s commands. Don’t resist them. Don’t deflect them to someone else. Don’t deny their relevance. Don’t try to find ways to avoid them. Don’t fight them. Receive them gladly. They are God’s word to you.
  • Revere them. “…always treasure my commands.” Old Testament commands are often seen as pre-Christian. New Testament commands are sometimes seen as being out of touch with reality. Pre-third-millennial (A.D.) commands are often seen as being out of date. Unless it is “emerging truth,” it is irrelevant, some say. But new is not always better. Better is better!
  • Protect and preserve them. “Guard my teachings as your most precious possession.” You may elect to leave your home unlocked when you go out at night, but you place yourself at risk if you do so. If what you receive from God is valuable, protect it with all the resources you have available to you. There is a myth in education that says we should teach our children all possible options and opinions about truth, and let them decide for themselves which options to choose and which to reject. The Old Testament wisdom is better: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.” That’s from Proverbs 22.
  • Keep them. “Obey them and live!” God’s commands are not like objects of art—nice to collect and to look at from a distance. God’s commands are fresh every day. They are truths to be applied to life. The song says it well: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Receive…Revere…Protect…Keep. Insights are like a beloved family member. 

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