First Chronicles chapter 7. Obedient or Not?
These genealogies focused a lot on:
- How many fighting men existed amongst several sons and their descendants. And
- They tell us some of the descendants' accomplishments. Such as:
A. Five sons were all chiefs of armies.
B. A daughter built cities and even had one of the cities named after her.
C. Some men were recognized as having qualities above other men because they were brave warriors and outstanding leaders.
Some individuals accomplish very impressive feats. We all too often categorize the greatness of an individual based upon the noticeable accomplishments that the public views as impressive.
God is more concerned with one's obedience. Think about it! Adam and Eve lost fellowship with God because of their disobedience. In Luke 8, when Jesus's family was looking for him he said my family are those who hear God's word and Obey it. In Luke 11, a woman was so impressed by Jesus she yelled out blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. Like she was saying your mom must be one awesome woman. Jesus responded by saying no, rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and Obey it.
One's obedience may result in great accomplishments easily observed by others, while other's obedience may result in a life that is not so easily noticed by others. God is not more impressed with one over the other.
If one of my kids becomes the president of a company and the other one is a stay-home mom, I'd be equally as proud if they both were pursuing the heart of God in obedience. That's all that matters. The Bible says what does it profit a person if they gain the whole world but lose their soul. It's almost as if God is saying don't brag about your accomplishments because I'm more concerned about whether you are obedient to my Word or not.
Am I striving for the kingdom of God in obedience so that whatever choices I make end up impacting lives for God's kingdom? Or am I more concerned about making choices that make me look good to others but end up building my kingdom verses God's kingdom?
Keep being a Blessing my Good Friends!
When thinking about obedience, I was reminded today of what we see in Luke 10:38-42.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
I can get so caught up in the little things of life and be like Martha who was anxious and troubled about many things while Mary was more focused on just simply being with Jesus. Whether serving as a president of a company or serving as a stay-at-home mom, God wants us to serve Him in obedience as we worship Him and not get distracted by whatever it is that we may have to do. God deserves our time and attention as He can help us in whatever role we may serve in. May we not become overwhelmed by the work that may need done or get distracted and point fingers at others, complaining about how we may think that they aren’t helping to do their share of the work. I tend to be like Martha sometimes, but I need to be more like Mary in choosing what is better by taking the time to listen to Jesus.