Obedience
Don’t get stuck in a situation that requires you to be
but you show up empty.
Romans 6:16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
We are all submitting to
Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
If following Jesus sounds so great, why do we have such a hard time
1 John 2:17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
1 . God will often ask you to do things you don’t
Jonah 1:1-2 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”
Delayed
2 . You can always find a boat sailing in the
Jonah 1:3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.
When we disobey the
Our
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Our
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Our
Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
3 . Jonah’s worst
Jonah 1:4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.
Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
4 . Obedience and submission lead to
Jonah 3:5, 10 The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow…When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Galatians 2:20a I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me… (NIV)