The article for this topic is called,
"God smiles when we obey wholeheartedly" By Pastor Rick (lower case letters are in the original article)
In this article published December 12, 2011,
at Purpose Driven Connections, (purposedriven.com.)
Rick says, "God smiles when you are obedient to him
and that if you do not do whatever God asks
without reservation, or hesitation them
God is not smiling.... but is it ture?
at Purpose Driven Connections, (purposedriven.com.)
Rick says, "God smiles when you are obedient to him
and that if you do not do whatever God asks
without reservation, or hesitation them
God is not smiling.... but is it ture?
Read this article in it's
entirety by
clicking: here.
It begins with
a Bible Verse,
"Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I'll wholeheartedly obey." Psalm 119:33 (LB)
This happens to be a verse from the Living Bible, which though good words, is not a TRANSLATION. This is what the KJV says....
"Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. "
This is what the NIV tells us:
"Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end"
Quite different from: "Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I'll wholeheartedly obey."
Quite different from: "Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I'll wholeheartedly obey."
Do you get the idea that he choose
this passage from this particular
rendering to use the word "obey?"
It's obvious. With all the Bible citations Rick uses being so different all the time, it is easy to see that the choice of Bible text Rick uses all depends upon the particular idea or word Rick wants most too emphasize or convey.. In this case it is the idea that if we love God, then whole heartedly....
that is without reservation, question or hesitation... is the way to do it. If we do then, then God "smiles"
that is without reservation, question or hesitation... is the way to do it. If we do then, then God "smiles"
Rick writes:
"God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly. That means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. You don't procrastinate and say, "I'll pray about it." You do it without delay. Every parent knows that delayed obedience is really disobedience.
God doesn't owe you an explanation or reason for everything he asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can't. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding."
Let's think and reason this a little....
1. Rick makes the remark that "a lifetime of Bible discussions is not equivalent to instant obedience."
2. He makes it sound like you will always know what God wants if you obey...
3. HE makes it sound like he is only talking about one act of "instant" obedience and not a whole lifetime of instant obedience. IS that the case? Is this what he is saying, and is it true?
Contrary to what Rick is informing you and I, you or I would never be able to be instantly obedient all the time to the commands of God. Remember the Ten Commandments? There is only one person who ever kept them perfectly and it was not you or me. That person, is Jesus.
Instead of telling you and I this, Rick says, "Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions."
Rick says,
"Often we try to offer God partial obedience. We want to pick and choose the commands we obey. We make a list of the commands we like and obey those while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpopular. I'll attend church but I won't tithe. I'll read my Bible but won't forgive the person who hurt me. Yet partial obedience is disobedience."
Rick delivers his punch line at the end, saying,
"God's Word is clear that you can't earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort."
Contrary to what Rick is informing you and I, you or I would never be able to be instantly obedient all the time to the commands of God. Remember the Ten Commandments? There is only one person who ever kept them perfectly and it was not you or me. That person, is Jesus.
Instead of telling you and I this, Rick says, "Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions."
On the other hand, if you spent some time in a Bible discussion
you might actually hear or read the gospel,
learn how Jesus, the perfect man ,
died on the cross,
was buried and rose again from death,
and that he died for our sin.,
the sins of the world.
Rick does not mention this....
and he forgets to mention Jesus too.
Jesus was the only perfect man...
Rick says,
"Often we try to offer God partial obedience. We want to pick and choose the commands we obey. We make a list of the commands we like and obey those while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpopular. I'll attend church but I won't tithe. I'll read my Bible but won't forgive the person who hurt me. Yet partial obedience is disobedience."
Well, Rick, partial truth is not truth at all. (untruth)
In the Gospels, attending "church" is not a "commandment." Tithing is not a commandment. Reading a bible is not a commandment either... Believing in Jesus, is. And you know what? It sounds like Rick just made up that list, (attending church, tithing,) because he likes those best!
In addition, as he goes on, he quotes more from the Living Bible, as well as the CEW, and the TEV. These are all used because Rick does not even rest in the use of one version of scripture. This is because, as mentioned in the beginning of this article, he uses the various versions to promote his own advantage, all depending on what he wants "Christians "to believe.
"God's Word is clear that you can't earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort."
So Rick? Is this comment because someone listening to you, reading what you had to say might have thought that you were saying that obedience earns salvation? Surely, our salvation makes God smile too, but you have not even mentioned salvation until now. You said obedience makes him smile; you said, "Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions.;" but you never mentioned the obedient One, Jesus? You have to use some biblical term to cover... like "grace?"
You just have to wonder!
But,. let's talk about instant obedience....
Jesus told a parable....of two sons...
He said,
“What do you think?
There was a man who had two sons.
He went to the first and said,
‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered,
but later he changed his mind and went.
but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son
and said the same thing. He answered,
‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
Think about it. What would your answer be?
your answer here
“The first,” they answered.
To these people who answered correctly,
Jesus said to them,“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors
and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom
of God ahead of you. For John came to you
to show you the way of righteousness,
and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors
and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this,
you did not repent and believe him.
Obedience, true obedience is believing on the one sent by God,....
Jesus.
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