Tag: obedience

Like My Cat

On By vickleaIn Scripture, testimony1 Comment

I spend a lot of time in solitude as my husband enjoys running errands and working in the garden, not to mention sleeping very late every day. In my quiet times, I have a lot of time to reflect and this morning, I was thinking about the life of our cat Daisy.

This, my friends, is Daisy. She loves to sit in boxes and will figure out a way to fit into a box even if it is actually too small to accommodate her. Her persistence is admirable and so I want to make Daisy’s attributes the topic of today’s post.

We got Daisy when she was a very tiny four month old kitten. She used to sit in my lap most of the time, snuggled up close to me, kneading, purring and settling. She knew instinctively that I was her person and so began to learn things from me. I taught her to sit and beg for her treats. Although she will be nine years old next month, when I shake the treat bag, she comes running and when I say “Sit” she does so obediently and instantly. Sometimes, I just have to point to the floor and she sits. If I want her to beg, I don’t give her the treat until she is sitting, I hold the treat higher and she gets up on her back legs and begs for it. So cute! And so trainable. In fact, Daisy also walks beside me as I go from room to room in the house, never taking her eyes off my feet and watching exactly where I am going. It is only when I sit down that she pauses, looks at me to make sure I am no longer active and either settles in my lap or on the back of my chair. Finally, Daisy loves unconditionally. If I get preoccupied and forget to feed her on time, she still wants to be with me and show me affection. If I don’t turn on the bathroom sink so she can drink from the faucet, she taps my hand to remind me, but she doesn’t scratch or bite me. She just gives me loving reminders of what her expectations are.

My person that I depend on, lean on and want to be always around is Jesus. I could learn a lot from Daisy about being obedient and following closely as well as being persistent. I want to follow Jesus so closely that all of His actions and movements are exactly what I do. I want to listen so carefully that when he says to do something, I obey right away, with hesitation and knowing that what He has in store for me will be good. I want to be persistent in prayer and in my time with the Lord daily, knowing that is the most important time of my day. Snuggling up with God and His Word in my comfy recliner is like being in a nice, well-fitting box. God doesn’t hold me there; I get in voluntarily and enjoy my stay in the place that is best for me. God give me loving reminders of His expectations for me all the time, but He is never impatient or demanding, just loving and gentle.

Just as God says we can learn a lot from the birds who have no worries but know that He will take care of them, I can also learn a lot from watching Daisy. She is loyal and trusts me to take care of her every day. I want to be totally loyal to God and trust Him wholeheartedly to meet my needs daily.

I can have the same peace that Daisy has as she sleeps in my lap if only I keep my mind focused on God, trusting Him completely to take care of everything while I rest.

I want to listen as carefully as Daisy listens. She hears me pick up her treat bag and comes running from the back bedroom or wherever she was. She learned to obey my commands and to come when I summon her. Most people tell me that cats don’t come when they are called. Well, Daisy does. If I say, “Daisy, come” she does. She knows that I am ready to feed her or give her a treat or just sit and cuddle with her. How often does the Lord tell me to come and I am so busy with other things that I do not hear His voice? How many times have I missed out on something from the Lord because I have not listened carefully for His voice? That’s why being like Daisy and carefully listening all the time is a good thing. I want to always be ready to hear and obey the voice of the Lord.

I think of Daisy as a gift from the Lord nine years ago. She has taught me a lot about focus and persistence and even obedience and love. Have you learned anything from the animals around you? Have they taught you anything about God’s love for you?

Come into the Ark

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture2 Comments

In order for Noah to have an ark to go into for safety, he had to obey God and build it. God didn’t make the ark and tell him, “Here you go! Your safe space is ready for you!” Instead, Noah had to pick up his tools and work hard at building a huge boat for which he was ridiculed. Think about it. You’re doing what God tells you to do and everyone else is making fun of you. Hmm. Sounds somewhat familiar at times, doesn’t it?

When Noah finished building the ark (after about a hundred years), God told him it was time to go into it. It’s a good thing that Noah was tuned in to God’s instructions. We need to have that same mindset…just do what God says to do and the reason may/may not be told to us later, but it will be a good one.

Why was Noah called into the ark? Because God saw him as righteous before Him. The world was a wicked place, kind of like our world today. The only way we can be righteous before God is to accept His Son as our Lord and Savior. When we have done that and become the Christians that He desires us to be, adopted into His family, then we are invited into the ark. The ark is not a physical boat of safety. Rather, it is the place we can always turn to in order to be safe from the world’s temptation and sin. We are invited to go in, but we have to take the steps to get there. God will not shove us into a place of safety; rather, He woos us with love and patience, reassuring us constantly that He knows what is best for us.

There is a lot we can learn from Noah…obedience, listening for God to speak and doing what God says when He says it. We have a shelter provided from all of the storms of life. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be storms, just that we won’t suffer all of the consequences that we would without an ark to take refuge in.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Living by God’s Laws

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/31835/day/1

Do you remember when you were a child and your parents set down certain rules that you had to follow, for your own safety and well being? For example, I was told at a very young age to always look both ways before crossing a street. I was told not to touch certain plants like poison ivy or oak. They might look harmless, but I found out the hard way that they were indeed untouchable. As I aged, the rules changed and I felt more restricted by them, but my parents assured me that they were for my good. I was not to go out alone at night; I should have a sibling or a friend with me. I was told that smoking was bad for me as was alcohol. I was instructed that sexual relations before marriage was bad for me physically and emotionally.

Just as my parents had rules for me, I had rules that I expected my children to follow because I love them and wanted them to be safe. Likewise, God gives us rules, standards to live by. We are not a society that likes to follow rules. This is the generation of “if it feels good, do it” and “do what makes you happy.” People may have changed their view of God, but He has not changed His view of them. He loves each of us and wants what is best for us, even when we are ignoring His standards because we think that they restrict our freedom. What they actually do is give us more freedom to live longer, happier and healthier lives. God’s rules are for our benefit, not our harm. God doesn’t want us to suffer the consequences of wrong choices, so He makes clear what the right choices are. It is up to us to listen and follow them. Or, we can reach out and touch the hot stove and find out for ourselves that it will indeed burn us. Obedience is a choice, but so is sin. Thus, we are expected to choose wisely. Our Heavenly Father loves us, just as we love our children, and He wants us to grow closer to Him, following His rules because they are what is best for us. He who knows us best and loves us best gives us rules so that we can become the best person we can be, representing our Savior and loving the life that God gave us.

Thankful to Be Blessed

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

We have a part to play in receiving blessings from God. We have to choose to walk in the counsel of the godly, not the ungodly. We have to choose to walk away from sin and sinners instead of standing there with them. Even standing silently is seen as agreement by some. Our total joy should come from reading and meditating on God’s Word. It is this Word and the attitude of delighting in the Lord that helps us to grow strong in Him, just as a tree planted by the water doesn’t have to do a lot to grow…it just has to stay planted. Don’t you just love the part that says “whatever he doeth shall prosper.” I would add a caution to that. This is not a claim it and it’s yours promise. It’s a “get to doing what God says to do” and His blessings will follow statement. God loves us enough to continually bless us, but He also expects obedience. I am thankful for all of God’s promises, especially one that encourages me to be an active participant in receiving His blessings.

Have a blessed day filled with delighting in the Lord and in His Word.

True Obedience

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

True obedience is doing the will of our Father in Heaven. Jesus knew and practiced that truth, being willing to sacrifice Himself for our benefit.

May we be ever mindful during this Holy Week of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

Have a blessed day, my friends.

A Census

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Every citizen of the United States has probably participated in a census at one time or another. An envelope comes in the mail and there are numerous questions for you to answer and return to the sender (the U.S. Census Bureau). The purposes of a government census are many: to make sure a state is represented correctly in the House of Representatives, to allocate funds to the states, and to see population trends, for examples.

But as I read the Book of Numbers, I have come across an interesting census. God ordered Moses to take a census of the people. So, I began to ponder why God who knows the number of hairs on our heads would want the people counted. I am sure that He knew exactly how many people were there in the desert traveling with Moses. But I am also sure that His census had a purpose.

Can you even fathom the fact that God knows your name, your age, and all of the other facts that the U.S. census asks you about and He never has to ask? I think one of the purposes of the census God asked for was to make sure that each individual knew without a doubt that they counted to the Lord. We matter to God! He doesn’t need to take a census for His benefit, but rather, He takes it for ours. Every single individual is important to God, our Creator who loves us and wants us to have a relationship with Him. Even as God ordered the census, He already had in mind every man, woman and child that stood before Him.

I think that another possible purpose of the census was to call on Moses to do something and then watch what happened. Have you heard from God lately? Or ever? Was He telling you to do something? The big question is: Did you do as He asked? Did you follow His instructions? I have found that when God asks me to do something, He only tells me one step at a time. Once I complete that step, He tells me the next step to take until my task is complete. When God told Moses to take a census, I can imagine how impatient the people may have been to just move on in the desert and get to where they were supposed to go. But God had a plan. He wanted to number the people and so He did. I recall later in the Bible when David did a census without God’s calling for one and God punished Him for it. Why? Because it was not God’s plan at the time. Sometimes we get ahead of God and sometimes we fall behind. His timing is what is perfect. So, God told Moses to complete a census. When Moses acted and obeyed, the census was completed and now there is a record for all to read of the tribes and the numbers in each of them. The first step was the obedience to count, a step that may have not made much sense to the people in the desert wasteland. But God had a plan and this was part of it. Like allocating resources with a current census, God had a plan. I don’t know all of it, but I know He had one. God never does anything without a reason and I’m pretty sure the reason had something to do with God making sure that individuals knew that they counted and they could count on God to include them in His plans.

What is God’s plan for you today? Or tomorrow? Or in the distant future? You know what? We don’t know. And that is okay because regardless of how ignorant we may be of what God is doing, He has a plan and He is working to carry it out.

I think it was also interesting that all of the members of all of the tribes were counted in the census except for the Levites. These were the priests, those who were anointed to take care of the tabernacle and to camp around it and protect it. So why were they not numbered? I don’t have an answer to that except that these men already knew how closely God watched over them, having received explicit instructions for their own cleansing and for the sacrifices they made for the people They were not a higher class of people, but they were already set aside for God’s purposes. They knew it and so did God, so I don’t think He had a reason to number them.

Listen for God to speak to you today, tomorrow and whenever He will. Then, be obedient and act on what He tells you to do. Like Moses, just start doing. You don’t have to understand everything. You just have to take that first step of obedient action and work with God in fulfilling His purpose for your life. You matter to God, and He has a good plan for you!