S.M. Wibberley’s Blog

Continuing with the Christmas theme: Obedience

Christ left all,  embraced the very hard and unpleasant, obeying to the end.

Then there is Mary, an unsuspecting teen-aged girl. I think she was happy to be engaged to a fine man like Joseph. And like most girls she probably dreamed of her wedding, of being an honorable wife and good mother, an upstanding member of her society.

Then an apparent tragedy struck as Gabriel appeared to the unsuspecting girl and gave her distressing news.

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus!” Can you imagine Mary’s shock at this announcement?

She lived in the Hebrew culture. To be found pregnant before marriage was not just a disgrace, it called for a death penalty! She would lose her husband, her future, her life. There was no visible , immediate advantage to accepting this offer.

But, here was a mighty angel speaking with her, promising great things for her future (perhaps she would not be executed after all!) and that she was being called to play a role in the great plans of God.

Pushing aside all her fears, she focused on the angel and his message as he  went on to add, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

This didn’t seem to reassure Mary much as she went right to the point: “How will this be since I am a virgin?”

He explained to her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

I think she still hesitated, because the  angel went on to say, “For no word from God will ever fail.” That is, “Trust God, trust His Word”

This seemed to convince Mary as it didn’t take her long to answer, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.”

She was willing to be obedient to the Lord in spite of the risks, the dangers, the uncertainty. She took up her role obediently and became the mother of the Christ!

As we approach Christmas, I’ve been thinking about its multifaceted meaning.

One important part of the message of Christmas is obedience.
There are four power examples for us, today we will look at one.

First is Jesus himself. Think about who He was
Col 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Col 1:16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Col 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Col 1:19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

Jesus was God who lived in heaven, the perfect place with no evil, darkness, evil or death
–He was worshipped by all
–He filled the whole universe, being everywhere at the same time.
He was all-powerful, able to create from nothing.
–He lived outside of time.
–He was free from suffering, difficulty, discouragement and danger.
He lived in beauty, plenty and perfection.

But, in obedience to the Father’s plan, He willingly left it all
He came to the earth to dwell among unwashed bodies, bad smells, lice and fleas, sickness and death.
–He lived among stubborn, rebellious, evil, and destructive people.
–He was surrounded by those who rejected him—all so different than heaven.
–And he subjected himself to young, inexperienced parents, knowing they would make mistakes.
–He limited himself to being in one place, in the tiny body of a baby, and later being a man only in Israel, no longer filling the universe. And he limited himself to one moment in time.
–He also gave up his power, his privileges, his freedom as God.
He only spoke what God the Father told him to say.
He only healed as God directed
He only acted according the plan of the Father.

And he knew the outcome of his obedience: suffering, rejection, ridicule, becoming sin, death on the cross and burial, and yet He obeyed to the last detail, and to every difficulty.

Why? Because He knew the outcome of the Father’s plan: redemption for all mankind, for the universe and the future. His obedience was worthwhile, it was of ultimate significance, and valuable because it was voluntary.

His is the epitome of obedience, a great example to us, for we, too, are also called to obedience. Jesus said, “If any man would be my disciple, he much deny himself, take up His cross daily and follow me.”

As we obey, He will guide, He will empower, He will include us in his great plans, just as the Father did for him.

The spirit of Christmas is joyful obedience to the King of Kings who knows what He is doing!

Psalm 31:2 “Turn your ear to me,”

[Thank you, Lord Jesus that you listen to us intently, that you have opened the way for us to cry to the Father and that our prayers are consistently heard. Praise you that you are the One who thought up prayer, who hears prayer and answers prayer, although many times not in the way or timing we would like.]

“come quickly to my rescue;”

[Praise be to you, Heavenly Father, that in answering prayer, you are never late, never miss the mark, never lose an opportunity. You know the best way to answer, which sometimes means leaving us in our desperation as long as it takes to produce the growth you know we need, the surrender that will open the way for deepening, and the maturing which will enable us to give you more glory.

Praise you that you answer out of your wisdom, your love, your grace and your goodness, rather than out of our impatience. Help us to rest in you rather than in getting our way.]

 

 

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EDIFIED! 365 DAILY DEVOTIONALS.

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One reader’s comment: “What a great devotional! Full of practical examples of how the author’s family applied God’s word in real and difficult events.

“There are a couple themes throughout the book that have had a big impact in my life: thanking God, (no matter what, Psalm 50:23) and resting in God alone, (Psalm 62). This book Edified has helped my worship so much!”

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Here is a sample entry:
“What certainty, what confidence we have in coming into your presence, O Lord God, King of the universe. The wonder is that you delight in our coming, you invite us to prayer, you call us to praise, you command us to intercede. We please your heart when we cry out to you in prayer.

“Praise you that you are the all-knowing One. You know the deep longings of our hearts, our dreams and desires. You understand our motives, you know how things will work out in the future as a result of our desires, decisions and words.

“You guide and protect, and at times you let us go the way of rebellion if we insist. As you said to the people of Israel, “So you think having a king is best? Try Saul for a few years!”
“Move in my present situation, Lord: bring healing to this one tense relationship, bring growth and unity, grace and repentance. Only you can do this. I praise you now for what you will do.”

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You, Lord Jesus,  are Marvelous in your personality, Majestic in your judgments, Mighty in your redemption and Magnificent in your mercy.

To you belongs all affection, all loyalty, all commitment, all awe, all reverence, all obedience, all honor–for in you there is no flaw, no imperfection, no error, no sin, no evil, no lack, no wrong.

You are worthy of eternal, complete, wholehearted and total love.

So, I bow before you this morning, Lord God: I praise you, Heavenly Father, I honor you, Lord Jesus, I surrender to you, Holy, Spirit. May there be in my life what you continually deserve: exaltation, magnification, worship, obedience and glory. Amen.

 

 

Praise you, Lord, for your undeserved goodness, poured on upon us daily, manifested in multiple ways, like giving us the gifts of sight, speech, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, things we take for granted, but miss much if we lose them.

Then there are the major, majestic, mighty ways you pour out your goodness on us: pardon from definitely deserved death, the gift of eternal life, the indwelling of the Spirit, the wonder of your Word, an intimate relationship with you, belonging in your family, guidance, meaning, purpose and protection in life. Plus, help in every circumstance, membership in the Church Universal, and abundant grace at all times. There is no end to the wonderful flow of your goodness, just as there is no end to learning about your marvelous and magnificent character.

You are the Three-in-One God: the Father who plans, the Son who brings it to pass, the Holy Spirit who finishes it up. You are the perfect Person, the perfect Personality, the perfect Planner, the perfect Partner who invites us into your work. May we take your hand and join you in what you are doing.

An example of “lifting my soul to God,” written in my worship journal several years ago.

Lord, I praise you this morning for your gracious and good presence: while I slept, you watched over me; when I awoke, you were there. Praise you that we can trust you to carry us forward and upward in life, to lead us through and out the other side of every happening that will come to us with your permission and good intent.

It is wonderful that your faithfulness does not depend on mine; you are there no matter what I do, working on me with grace, patience and wisdom. Thank you, Lord, for exposing my sinful old nature last night when I got upset over my friend’s accusatory statements.

I was, as he pointed out, touchy. He is wrong in the way he makes blame-shifting statements, but that is no reason whatsoever for me to be touchy. That means I reacted in a “fear of man” mode, giving his statements more credence and importance than I should. This is looking to my friend for support and truth, when I should be looking to you for that, Lord.

Forgive me, Lord, transform me in this area, help me to respond in a godly, wise and gracious manner rather than in a selfish, whining, self-pitying way.

Lord, help me to embrace the humiliation of my failure and the fire of shame, allowing it to refine me, to move through it and on into humility, accepting the fact of my depravity on one side and affirming the holiness you have bequeathed me with on the other.

Thank you for this further step in my ongoing revival, the exposure of my depravity and the further revelation of your gracious and powerful sufficiency in love, forgiveness and cleansing. Praise you for the warnings of your Word and the perspective your Spirit gives us; we need them so much to keep us balanced and effective for you.

May this revival continue. May you be glorified in the process. Guide me today in checking in with you often and following the direction of your Spirit, that I may honor you in all.

First, thank you for your prayers, the procedure went well and my heart is back in rhythm.

 

Psalm 30:11 “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,”

[You answered David, you brought him through the dark, cold valley like in the picture below. You delivered him from his fears, his enemies, his dangers. And for what purpose?]

Psalm 30:12 “that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.”

[You saved him so David might have the privilege of exalting you further, you who are worthy of worship, of love and obedience.]

“O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.”

[And you, Lord, ARE worthy of thanks forever and ever. May we daily live in the power of thanksgiving, of praise, of worship. Why?  So that, for the joy set before us, we can endure whatever cross you deem necessary, knowing that we will be set down in heaven with you at the wedding feast of the Lamb!

What a hope, what a future, what a privilege to live with, for and in you Lord Jesus! May we do it well.]

 

 

Yesterday I wrote this:

Psalm 30:8 “To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:”

[This is the proper response in difficulty,

to seek you and your mercy,

to recognize my weakness and your strength,

to trust you, not myself.]

And tonight we are in the Emergency Room again trying to find out what is wrong with Barbara. She has been feeling bad, weak, lethargic, only able to lie around on the couch all day. So after 5 days of that I was able to convince her to come to the ER. So far she’s been poked, x-rayed, MRIed, and  poked again for more blood. Thus far they have nothing to tell us.

So we are waiting, an opportunity to recognize our weakness and His strength. Choosing to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving is the right thing to do, as this will honor Him and open the way for Him to show us the salvation of the Lord.

So we wait in expectation, in trust, in faith, thanking God for whatever He’s going to do.

Psalm 30:8 “To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:”

[This is the proper response in difficulty,

to seek you and your mercy,

to recognize my weakness and your strength,

to trust you, not myself.

I praise you, Lord God, for your goodness and graciousness and for how you answer us in such situations, first delivering us from all our fears, then strengthening us with strength in our souls, then saving us out of all our troubles, whether through deliverance or through giving endurance, or through death (Ps. 34:4-7).

You are the God who is there, you are the God who hears, you are the God who answers. “…the angel of the Lord encamps round about those who fear him and delivers them” (Ps. 34:8).]

Help me to utilize the times of security to deepen my walk with you, Lord Jesus, so that

I may rejoice in the times of difficulty,

offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

finding my rest and hope in you,

exalting you by living in Truth.

And I thank you now for how you will answer this prayer.