The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Promises and Commands"
Part 2
Problems with the commands of Scripture can always be traced back to problems with its promises.
"The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).
The word "live" in this declaration is all-compassing. Everything the believer does that qualifies as genuine living, namely, obedience to God through the empowering life of Christ, proceeds from His grace received by faith. Thus, if we do not obey God in a matter, what truth of His empowering grace are we ignoring or disbelieving? What of the Holy Spirit's promised leading and enabling are we failing to access because of unbelief? Indeed, consider the hindrance of the working of the Lord Jesus in His own home town in Matthew's Gospel: "He could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief" (Matthew 13:58). The same will be true of believers in times when rather than "live by faith," we fall by unbelief.
"They could not enter in because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:19).
God made the human heart to know Him by faith, to walk with Him in obedience by the same, and to influence others by example and word that God can be trusted. To the degree we genuinely believe our Heavenly Father and His Word will be the degree to which we consistently and increasingly live in a manner that pleases and honors Him. This beckons us to seek Him in the quest to know His heart so well that trusting Him flows as the rushing current of our lives. "He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Yes, to believe God's promises results in obeying His commands.
We began the Christian life by receiving God's grace through faith. We continue by the same. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6). Thus, we open the pages of God's Word to seek His promises and His commands. By believing the former, we shall fulfill the latter as we avail ourselves of the power of God to, as the old hymn rightly affirms, "Trust and obey, for there is no other way."
"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
(I Thessalonians 2:13)
"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
(II Corinthians 9:8)
Weekly Memory Verse
My times are in Thy hand.
(Psalm 31:15)
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