Meditation Monday- OBEY

How do you measure success?

I measure success in all kinds of ways. If I run three miles in the time I want and pain free-success! If I get my house cleaned before I have company over-success! If we finish all of our school work and we are all still alive at the end of the day-success! If I get down to the size I want and keep from having second and third dessert-success! If my children grow up and love Christ and follow after Him-success! If I have my quiet time each day-success! You get the point.

How does Jesus measure success? Is it how many people I lead to Christ? Is it how cosistently I have my quiet time? Is it how many mission trips I go on? Is it how many times a day that I pray? Is it how many friends I invite to church? Is it how many verses of scripture I memorize? Hmmm...?

In Luke 9:1-6 Jesus is sending out the twelve disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God and perform miraculous signs. He said to them,"Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and take your leave from there. And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." In other words, leave in a hurry; this work is of an urgent nature. Do not spend alot of time worrying about material possessions but go share the gospel and do miraculous signs. But the last part is very interesting. Some will not receive you but shake the dust from your feet and move on. Here Jesus specifically tells them that your efforts will sometimes seem unsuccessful- people will turn you out. Some will not receive you. The disciples' job was not to go and win souls for Christ. How would they measure success? How would they know if they were doing a good job? How would they know if they were using the right words or curing the right disease? In verse 1 it says, "He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing." BLAM!

Here it is, our job is to go and it is Christ's job to save! The authority and power was granted to them from Jesus. It is the power of God and it is the same power and authority given to us- this is a work of the Spirit in our lives. It is not our job to save anyone and our success is not measured in how people respond. So how is our success measured?

John 15:10, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love." OBEDIENCE. I am to obey all that the Father commands. He is success. If anyone comes to the Father it is because of Christ's work not mine. My job is to go forth and OBEY. What a relief!

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the ends of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

OBEDIENCE. You may share the gospel and no one cares but you have OBEYED-success! You may share the gospel and 100 people repent and turn to Christ. You have OBEYED-success! My question now is, "God, what would you have me do?" I am so glad that Jesus was about STRONG verbs. ABIDE. OBEY. GO FORTH. PREACH. TEACH. BAPTIZE. John 15 has alot to say about each one of these actions but the very first one mentioned is ABIDE. Abide in Christ and He will ABIDE in you. Study His Word, Meditate on it. Pray to the Father about His Word. Trust in His Word. It will produce a JOY in you that overflows into OBEDIENCE. And our OBEDIENCE manifests itself in GOing and PREACHing and BAPTIZing and TEACHing. What are we waiting for? All authority and power to GO comes from Christ. Success!

This was good news for me this weekend. I hope it is good news for you.