No Way Around Obedience

“Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. [Deuteronomy 8.1-5]

If Jesus is the Word of God (and He is), then we are still compelled to "obey" the Word of God. 

How do we obey Jesus, the Word of God? Faith. The things that He did, we will also do - and even greater things...

There is simply no way around "obedience" for the child of God.

Our obedience is to the promptings of faith. The end result of our obedience of faith is good works (as Jesus demonstrated):

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. [2 Thessalonians 1.11-12]

Again, there is simply no way around "obedience" for the child of God.

Faith is not an option for the believer. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but faith is not only the initial challenge for any person coming to God, but it will remain the challenge for the duration of that believer's time on earth. Why? Because faith is obedience and, without faith it is impossible to please God.

Obedience to God may be measured by the accomplishment of good things prompted by faith. What was spoken of Jesus?

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. [Acts 10.38]

Who else has been given the Holy Spirit? Those who believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the power to "accomplish all the good things" LIKE JESUS DID that faith prompts us to do!

Jesus took care of the requirements of the Law of Moses. This should be evident in our lives when Jesus lives in us. So, our obedience to the Law of Moses is found in our faith in Jesus. But our obedience to Jesus is found in the good works of faith that will make us look and act like Jesus in the earth!

(The paragraph above may be the most profound thing I have ever written.)

One more time, there is simply no way around "obedience" for the child of God. Not obedience to the Law (although that will be evident when we are Christ's) but obedience to the faith that prompts us to good works JUST LIKE JESUS.

Father, the conviction of my own writing here is overwhelming. Forgive me for not obeying the promptings of faith that would make me look and act like Jesus!