Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”
Our Bible verse for today: “You ought to live holy and godly lives.” 2 Peter 3:11 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Obeying God when it is easy helps us to obey God when it isn’t easy.”
It is said of the great painter Leonardo da Vinci that he spent the first ten years of his career just practicing drawing ears, elbows, hands, and other body parts, before he ever attempted to draw a whole person. He believed he needed to perfect the small details before he would be ready to produce a true work of art.
Tony Gwynn was one of the greatest hitters to ever play professional baseball. His secret was that he spent hour upon hour every week in the batting cage hitting baseball after baseball. He spent untold hundreds of hours perfecting his swing so that when it came time to do it for real, in the game, he was well-prepared.
Likewise, the way we prepare ourselves to obey God in the big things and during the hard times, is to obey Him all the time, in the small things and when it is easy to do so. In other words, we practice obedience. We make obeying God part of the normal routine of our everyday lives. We study the Bible every day so not only do we know God’s commands (the parameters He has established for daily godly living), but we know them so well that they become second nature. When we live within the Biblical boundaries as a regular part of how we live every day, doing so simply becomes our normal way of life. Then when we’re faced with a crisis or an especially difficult set of circumstances, a Biblical response is almost automatic; to respond un-biblically would be completely out of character for us.
This is the value of discipline and regularity. This is why we establish godly patterns to govern our conduct all the time. Daily Bible study and prayer, faithful attendance when the church family is gathering, sacrificial acts of ministry and service, all of it combines to form our character, strengthen our faith, and make us strong so we are ready when the hard times come.
The comedian and actor Woody Allen is reported to have once quipped that “90% of success in life is simply showing up.” He’s right. Being successful at anything is largely a matter being where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to do, and developing the habit of doing the small things well. If you want to be strong enough and prepared enough to obey God when obeying isn’t easy, you have to practice by obeying Him all the time, especially when it is easy.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 