Category Archives: Obedience

Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Commands, DUTY, God's Will, Obedience, Scripture, Service

MY DUTIES

ZECHARIAH 11:5

“‘Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, “Blessed be the LORD, for I have become rich!” And their own shepherds have no compassion for them.’”

I have shared how I served for over thirty years working with children and youth in the foster care system. For the most part, the very people who were supposed to protect these children, abused or abandoned them. I could share dozens of stories where the parents chose drugs or alcohol over their own babies. Others saw their children as objects to be used rather than loved and cared for.

In much the same way, the very people who were supposed to care for the children of Israel had left them unprotected. The religious leaders who were instructed to teach the Law to the people had abandoned their duties. The people of Israel saw defeat and exile, all because of their refusal to obey the One who had given them their land.

APPLICATION

Jeremiah talks about this as well. In Jeremiah 50:6-7 we read, “‘6 My people have become lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the mountains.

They have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place. 7 All who found them have devoured them; and their adversaries have said, “We are not guilty, since they have sinned against the LORD who is the habitation of righteousness,

the LORD, the hope of their fathers.”’”

I need to ask you something. Have you been given a duty and responsibility by God which you are not fulfilling? Perhaps, it is in the care of your children. You know that care also involves teaching them about the Lord and His love for them. Not teaching them that is neglect in His eyes. They have been given to you as a gift. You should cherish these gifts.

I do not want to arrive in heaven with uncompleted tasks. I want to work each day to accomplish each and every duty I have been assigned by Jesus. Loving your neighbor is a good one to practice. Submission to elders is another. How are we doing with those two? Ask the Lord to reveal to you what He would have you do and then do it.

Father, I do not want to be like the leaders of Israel who abandoned their posts. Give me strength to serve well.

Standard
Access, Allegiance, Bible, Calling, Children, Dependence, Faithfulness, Obedience, Promises, Scripture

WHISTLE

ZECHARIAH 10:8

“I will whistle for them and gather them together, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they were before.”

My dad was a great whistler. I did not inherit that trait. My wife makes fun of me every time I try to whistle. I would love to be able to whistle. It would come in handy from time to time to call a dog or maybe even a child. But I did not get than gene, lol.

In today’s verse, God just whistles and His children come. This same Hebrew word is used when God called the quail for His children and the bees to drive out their enemy. It is only used twelve times in the Old Testament. That might make a great word study for you sometime. The point is though, the people had to be somewhat attentive to the whistle of God to respond. I am sure His whistle was quite unique.

APPLICATION

I have never heard God whistle, but I have heard Him call my name. When I was sixteen, He called me to salvation. A few months later, I knew He called me to full time ministry. All through my life, at critical points, God has called me. Let’s just say He whistled, and I responded. How about you? Have you heard that unique whistle or call by God?

John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive Him, to all who believe in His name, He gave the right to be called children of God.” To receive and believe, you have to hear His whistle, His call. When we respond to that, we receive that promise – to be called His kids. I am God’s kid. He’s my Father. When He calls, I am supposed to come, just like any child should. When He whistles, I should listen for His direction.

Are you going to be listening for God’s whistle? When He calls, are you going to obey? It is pretty simple. He calls, we come. He whistles, we turn our attention to Him to see what’s next. When I played football in Junior High and High School, the coaches all had whistles they would blow to get our attention. We had better respond or there were consequences (extra laps, etc). There are dire consequences if we do not respond to God’s whistle. Listen up!

I am listening, O Lord, to hear Your whistle, Your call.

Standard
Accountability, Bible, Calling, Commands, Gospel, Missionaries, Obedience, Scripture, Witnessing

SO MANY PEOPLE

ZECHARIAH 8:22

“‘So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of armies in Jerusalem, and to plead for the favor of the LORD.’”

I have to be honest – I hate crowds. As much as I love football, the thought of having to fight the crowd at a Georgia football game makes me cringe. I have been in big crowds. There has never been one that I truly enjoyed. Oh, the event I may have attended was good and all, but fighting those crowds in and out of the stadium or arena makes me just want to stay home.

So, when Zechariah shares the words of the Lord that “many peoples and mighty nations will come,” I am sure some people were not too happy. But we have to move past our own likes and dislikes, don’t we? So did they. These people were coming “to plead the favor of the Lord.” They were to be welcomed and shown the love of their God. What a change for them. Instead of dreading the impending masses of armies, they were now serving the Lord of armies by welcoming these pilgrims.

APPLICATION

I think you can guess where I am going to go with this. We need to not only welcome people as they come to Jesus, but we also need to seek them. I have friends who live in countries where there are billions of people who need Jesus. They live in cities that are packed with people literally shoulder to shoulder. They go not because they like those living conditions. They go to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

We are clearly commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 to go to all the nations and make disciples. That starts at home with our neighbors. We are also told in Acts 1:8 by Jesus, “‘but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.’”

Where is the Lord calling you? There are truly so many people who need to hear the Gospel. We are all called to share it to as many as we can. What is the result if we don’t? They will spend eternity in hell, separated from God. None of  us want that. So, tell someone the good news this week.

Lord, put me in the path of those who need to hear about Your Son and let them listen and receive it.

Standard
Bible, Lies, Lying, Obedience, Scripture, Trust, Truth

CITY OF TRUTH

ZECHARIAH 8:3

“‘The LORD says this: “I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.”’”

In America for decades, everyone who was sworn in during a court proceeding was asked to “tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help you God.” Over the past couple of decades many courts have dropped that last phrase “so help you God.” They have no idea what they have done. There is no truth outside of God’s truth. Left to their own devices, people will tell their truth. That is not necessarily the same as God’s truth.

In today’s verse, God calls Jerusalem “the City of Truth.” What does that mean? Well, Albert Barnes gives us a great opinion on that. He says, “Truth embraces everything opposite to untruth; faithfulness, as opposed to faithlessness; sincerity, as opposed to simulation; veracity, as opposed to falsehood; honesty, as opposed to untruth in act; truth of religion or faith, as opposed to untrue doctrine.” He goes on to quote Dionysius who said, “It shall be called the city of truth, that is, of the True God or of truth of life, doctrine, and justice. It is chiefly verified by the Coming of Christ, who often preached in Jerusalem, in whom the city afterward believed.” Pretty good, huh?

APPLICATON

How do you apply this verse to your everyday life? Just tell the truth. Nothing is as clean as the truth. If you always tell the truth, you have nothing to hide. You don’t have to remember what lie you told in order to not get exposed. Jesus tells us in John 8:31b-32, “‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

You see, the simple answer is if you know the Word, you will know the truth. Period! Exclamation mark! Our problem today is so few are really interested in knowing the Word. So many Christians leave their Bible on a shelf Monday through Saturday and then pick it up, dust it off and bring it to church on Sunday. You have to apply the Word to your everyday life.

In the ministry I am serving (Every Man A Warrior), we teach our men how to study the Word but more importantly how to apply it to their lives. Memorizing, meditating and then applying God’s Word will make you into a “City of Truth.” People will be drawn to your wisdom. One of my favorite verses in found in Malachi 2:7. “For the lips of a priest should maintain knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of armies.” You are that messenger!

Lord, show me Your truth and nothing else. I know I can trust it.

Standard
Affliction, Battles, Bible, Confession, Defeat, Exile, Forgiveness, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Obedience, Persecution, Restoration, Scripture

NO TRAFFIC

ZECHARIAH 7:14

“‘but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they did not know. So the land was desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, since they made the pleasant land desolate.’”

No traffic sounds good, doesn’t it? I live in a city where we have daily traffic jams. One spot in particular causes daily delays. They have attempted to correct that spot and improve the flow of traffic, but it really hasn’t helped a lot. But traffic congestion can also mean that many people are coming to your area or at least coming through it. It helps the economy which in turn helps your community.

God promises the traffic will stop in Israel. He says, “so that no one went back and forth.” Because of their unrepentant sins, God “scattered them…among all the nations.” They were led into exile by foreign invaders. Their land would be left desolate. There would cease to be any reason to come to that land because everything of value was gone.

APPLICATION

Has your life been left desolate because of your sin? There is hope in Jesus. He can restore that which was lost. He can return you to a place of fruitfulness. But that is only possible as you confess and submit to Him. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

You see, our cleansing is just waiting – waiting on us to respond to His calling on our lives. When we do respond, He is there – faithful and righteous to forgive us. What are you waiting for? Aren’t you tired of the windswept streets of your life – desolate due to sin? He can restore the flow of His Spirit.

Warning: When you decide to go all in with Jesus, He will make your life exciting and real. He will lead you to new opportunities for service. He will give you a hunger for His Word that can only be sated by study and application. He will give you a passion to reach the lost with the Gospel. Are you ready for some “traffic” in your life?

Lord, lead me and I will follow. I want to be about Your business.

Standard
Abiding, Bible, Compassion, Friends, Justice, Kindness, Neighbors, Obedience, Scripture

HOW TO TREAT OTHERS

ZECHARIAH 7:9

“This is what the LORD of armies has said: ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother;’”

We have all heard about the “Golden Rule.” You know, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I have to admit – that is easier said than done. It is easy when dealing with a kind person. But when you have to deal with a real troublemaker, that is a little bit harder. These words in today’s verse really are convicting.

Zechariah pulls from Ezekiel and some other prophets and complies this list from the Lord. He says to show justice, kindness (mercy) and compassion. Easy enough, right? Wrong! But these are the Lord’s words, not Zechariah’s. It is God who is telling us how to treat others. Obviously, this was not being done by all the people. They needed a reminder.

APPLICATION

Jesus told us in Matthew 22 how to treat our neighbors. In verse 39 He says, “‘The second is like it, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”’” This comes from Leviticus 19:18 which reads, “‘Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.’”

It both cases, this is the Lord speaking – Jesus and God. Just like in Zechariah, God is giving us direction on how to treat our neighbors. Treat them right (justice). Show them mercy. The Hebrew word here is hesed, which is a key word in regards to our relationship with God. And also show them compassion. This is a tender love often used to describe a mother’s love for her child.

Just this week I told my wife that I wanted to get to know our neighbors better. And now I read this verse. Coincidence? I don’t think so. I haven’t done a very good job of doing these three things to my neighbors. Will you pray that I will be able to do that better? I will pray that you can also.

Show me how to show justice, mercy and compassion to my neighbors, Lord.

Standard
Bible, Commands, Direction, God's Will, Inspirational, Messages, Obedience, Scripture

GOD’S WORD TO ME

ZECHARIAH 7:8

“Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,”

I just realized something this morning. I began supervising people back in 1987 when I went to work at a children’s home in South Carolina. When I moved to my current ministry with Every Man A Warrior in January 2022, it was the first time in thirty-five years I was not supervising employees. Call me slow, but I just figured that out. I am not telling others what to do. I have to admit – it’s kind of nice.

God keeps speaking to Zechariah and telling him what to do. Why was that? What made Zechariah so special? God was delivering to his chosen prophet a message. This message wasn’t meant just for him. These words were meant to share with the people of Israel. They needed to hear God’s words, not just Zechariah. Zechariah could have kept all God’s words to himself, but he didn’t. He wrote them down and also shared them with the people. We can learn a lesson here.

APPLICATION

Who are God’s words intended for? Certainly not just for us, right? The last part of the Great Commission tells us what to do. Matthew 28:20a reads, “‘teaching them to follow all that I commanded you;…’” The Greek word used here for “follow” is tereo which means keep, guard, observe or watch over. It’s much more than just follow.

We are to teach others His Word. We are to share with others the importance of observing, keeping and guarding His Word. God’s Word is important. Well Carl, God isn’t speaking directly to me like He did to Zechariah. Oh really? What do you call it when you read His Word and you receive instructions for daily living? That’s God talking to you – just as clearly as He did to Zechariah.

I have mentioned before how I love to hear God’s voice. I hear that in my prayer time as He directs me who to pray for and what to pray. I hear His words when I pick up my copy of His Word and read. I hear Him speak to me through other believers as they share what God has done in their lives. God is still speaking. Are you listening?

The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God. The B-I-B-L-E.

Standard
Advice, Battles, Bible, Commands, God's Will, Leading, Obedience, Preparations, Scripture, Wisdom

YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED

ZECHARIAH 7:7

“‘Are these not the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and carefree along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”

I can’t recall the number of times I have been given good advice which I ignored in favor of doing something my way. I knew the person giving the advice knew what they were talking about. They had been there and done that. They spoke from experience. But I thought their idea was outdated or too simplistic. I usually had to come back around to their way of thinking to deal with the issue at hand.

The Lord, in this verse, is telling Zechariah basically that. He was saying, “Didn’t Isaiah and Jeremiah tell you all this? They gave you My words, which you ignored. You were all fat and sassy and thought nothing could touch you. You didn’t heed my advice.” The Hebrew literally says, “Should you not have obeyed the words I declared?”

APPLICATION

In Luke 6 Jesus tells us the parable of the two houses. One was built on a firm foundation. The other on sand. You know the story, right? The storm comes and dashes against the houses. The one built on the firm foundation stood while the other one collapsed. But do you know the verse that set up this story?

Luke 6:46 says, “‘Now why do you call Me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?’” Obedience to His words, to His advice, to His commands is so important. Why? He is trying to help us prepare for the storms of life. He can see what we cannot see. He knows exactly when the storm will arrive. We would do well to heed His words.

My wife hates thunder and lightning. Anytime it is forecast for our area she watches it closely on the weather app. On that app you can look at the weather radar and can predict when those storms will arrive and how long they will last. What you can’t predict is the damage they will do. So, you must prepare, right? Try applying that to your spiritual life. God has that radar and knows the storms are coming. Get ready. He wants you prepared. That is only done when we listen to His Word.

I know Your Word can show me how to prepare for the storms of life. I will look to it for my guidance.

Standard
Abiding, Bible, Direction, Following, Obedience, Scripture, Submission

THE LORD OF ARMIES

ZECHARIAH 7:4

“Then the word of the LORD of armies came to me, saying,”

Titles can be important. I had the privilege to work closely with Governor Jeb Bush when I was in Florida. I was part of a group that lobbied on behalf of the child welfare system there. I always addressed him as Governor Bush, never as Jeb. Why? Because he had earned that title. He was filling that office and deserved that recognition.

This is the first time in Zechariah when “the word of the LORD” had come to Zechariah that he addresses the Lord as “the LORD of armies.” The term “armies” is used elsewhere but this is the first time it is used as he receives His word. The Hebrew word is tsbadah. It can mean a mass of people organized for war, company, host, service, soldiers, waiting upon, or war(-fare). The point is that the Lord is the commander of this group. He has the authority.

APPLICATION

Do you recognize God’s authority in your life? You may be saved but still living your life in the manner you see fit. You are not submissive to the Lord’s guidance. You shrug off any commands in Scripture that direct you to live differently than the world. After all, you want to “fit in.”

In Matthew 7 Jesus spells it out pretty clear. It is not just about declaring Him Lord. Our actions speak louder than words. “21 ‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” 23 And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; LEAVE ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”’”

It is not just our words. Obedience to His commands. Submission to His Lordship. Those are the things that determine our allegiance. Are you acknowledging Him today as the “LORD of armies” in your life? Does He have complete control? Will you follow His orders? Good! That is pleasing to the Father.

Follow, follow I will follow Jesus. Anywhere, everywhere, I will follow on. Follow, follow I will follow Jesus. Everywhere He leads me I will follow on.

Standard
Asking, Bible, Fasting, Obedience, Prayer, Questions, Scripture

A GOOD QUESTION

ZECHARIAH 7:3

“speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of armies, and to the prophets, saying, ‘Shall I weep in the fifth month and fast, as I have done these many years?’”

Have you ever gone to a pastor or preacher to ask for advice about a spiritual matter? Maybe you have a question about praying or fasting. You could be confused about a certain passage of Scripture and need their insight. Seeking the advice of our spiritual leaders is a good thing. This is what we see in today’s verse.

Sharezer and Regemmelech had come seeking the Lord’s favor and had this question for the priests. This may sound like a strange question, but you have to know what was going on. During the fifth month, the people fasted and prayed in remembrance of the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians. But now that the temple was being rebuilt, these two men were asking if they should continue that or pray with joy. In other words, do we keep doing this or not?

APPLICATION

Malachi 2:6-7 says, “6 True instruction was in his mouth and injustice was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and justice, and he turned many back from wrongdoing. 7 For the lips of a priest should maintain knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of armies.” I just love that passage. I have put it to memory, mainly because my boss told me to, lol.

As a pastor and minister of the Gospel, it is my job to dispense knowledge and wisdom to those who seek it from me. Let me say quickly that I have no knowledge or wisdom outside of the Lord’s. That is why I always point people to His Word. It is the true source of wisdom.

If you haven’t read Psalm 119 lately, take a few minutes and do that. Notice that just about every verse has a reference to God’s Word. It may be called commands, law, precepts, statutes or something else, but all those descriptions are pointing us back to the Word. If you have a question, go to the Word or go to someone who can direct you where to look there. It has the answers.

I praise You for giving us Your Word to guide us and answer all of life’s questions.

Standard