Deuteronomy 13:4
You are to follow only God, your God, hold him in deep reverence, keep his commandments, listen obediently to what he says, serve him—hold on to him for dear life!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I was watching a Sunday worship service on television. Unbeknownst to me, Greg was watching the same service in his office. Later he said, “Well, I guess you heard Pastor So-and-so say that we must do XYZ.” I replied that I did, but that “God has told me to do something else!” I mean no disrespect to pastors (and many are dear friends), but last time I checked, they were human beings just like me. Perhaps many of these folks are ordained by God and given a certain level of wisdom and authority in the church, but they are still NOT God. So, there are times that your pastor tells you to do things when you ought not to listen!
If your pastor is telling you that certain people and groups are not welcome in your worship services or in other missions and ministries pertaining to your church body, you should probably find a new church or pastor. If your friend is telling you that this little white lie or that one is okay, you need to tell your friend, “NO!” – and maybe find some better associates. If a family member threatens to ostracize you because you do not comply to his/her “rules,” it’s time to visit other relatives! If your boss is telling you to overlook things you know are immoral, if not illegal, you should probably look for another job or speak to someone in Human Resources.
The point is that there are plenty of people who will tell you, “I alone can fix this,” or “these are nasty people,” or even “When you’re a star, they let you…” but this doesn’t mean this is okay with God. In fact, there are two quick questions you can ask yourself in most situations… 1) Is this what God desires and ordains? and 2) Does this demonstrate the love of Christ and treat others as I wish to be treated? If the answer is negative to any part of either question, God is most definitely not on board. All this aside, you need to get so familiar with God and His “voice” that you know without any doubt when He speaks to you, even without these questions.
What God calls us to do is not always easy – not by a long shot. There are people who will never speak to me again because I missed events during COVID. Many have condemned me for my stances on sexual orientation, race, and other social issues. Some want nothing to do with me because they are intimidated because I listen to God and try to do what He says. And in every one of these cases, I am at peace, because I know who I follow, and I hold on to Him for dear life.
The Bible is very clear on these points. There is only one God, and we need to get to know Him, listen to what He has to say, and follow His commands to the letter. But this is our choice to make. In the words of Joshua 24:14-15… “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.” Alleluia!
©2023 Debbie Robus
Daily Devo Time 