Obedience to God

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 5:27-33 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ 

~~~ John 3:31-36 ~~~

But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,

"We must obey God rather than men..." 

The apostles faced one challenge after another

 as they went out to spread the good news.

They remained steadfast in their conviction

 to put the will of God above the will of men.

The apostles were strengthening each other.

They believed with their whole being in the promises of God.

They believed that God sent Jesus to save all people.

The apostles drew validation from being obedient to God.

They knew they were doing the right thing.

Their actions give testimony to their obedience.

We are witnesses of these things,

as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given

 to those who obey him.

The apostles defend themselves as witnesses 

of the many ways Jesus made known the ways of God.

They also acknowledge that the Holy Spirit was given to them.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with the apostles 

after he was no longer with them.

Furthermore the Holy Spirit 

has been sent to those who obey him.

That means us as we desire to be more holy.

We are not living witnesses of all that Jesus

 accomplished while he walked among us,

but we can be open to doing his will.

If we make the conscious effort to do the will of God

he will bless us with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit flourishes in faithful believers.

Are you one of the faithful believers?

How successful are you at resisting obedience to man?

Can you discern the difference between obedience to God 

versus being obedience to man?

The Holy Spirit blesses us

 with the light of discernment.

~~~Peace in the Risen Jesus~~~

Sin-Slavery-Obedience

~~~ Romans 6:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 124 ~~~ Luke 12:39-48 ~~~

Sin...Slave...Obedience...Grace

But thanks be to God that, 
although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart...

Is it not the attitude of the heart
where you discover if you are a slave or obedient?
Sin makes you a slave to things your heart does not want to do.
Slaves have no control over their physical surroundings.
Slaves cannot voice their opinion.

A slave cannot dwell on things of the heart for too long;
for it is very painful for them.

Sin makes you a slave, caged by your own
 weakness and desires.

God, in his infinite wisdom saw how slavery to sin
would keep his chosen people from ever
reuniting with him in heaven.

God sent Jesus to free you from the chains of sin.
God did not want us to remain slaves.
God wants you to come to him in love and obedience.
God wants you to freely chose to come to him.

It is the out pouring of his grace into your heart;
this is why you can become obedient from the heart.

Slavery cannot control your heart unless
you give up and allow it.

If you are to be a slave then there is only one master
to whom you should answer...Jesus.
If you are to be obedient it is from the heart
 that you must take action.

If you become a slave to the Lord;
you must also be humble and docile.

If you chose obedience from the heart
then being a slave of God's is the visible sign.

Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Jesus came to serve and not to be served;
yet we desire to be obedient to his commands.

Without love and grace
radiating from the heart your
commitment to the Lord is nothing
 more than glorified slavery.

The bonds of sin have been broken
 so that you can chose humble obedience to the Lord.

The Lord our God protects and cares for you
not as a slave but as his beloved daughter and son.

Blessed to humbly
chose obedience to the word of God.

~~~Peace~~~

Seeking Proof

~~~ Romans 1:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

...according to the Spirit of holiness... 

...the grace of apostleship...

...the obedience of faith...

...called to belong to Jesus Christ...

...called to be holy...

Maybe it is human nature to seek proof for our beliefs...

we seek visible signs to validate.

Jonah was one such visible sign; he alone 

saved the whole city of Nineveh.  

Jesus acknowledges the accomplishments of Jonah,

but tells the crowd there is something greater...

namely himself.

He alone saves, not just one city;

he alone saves all of humanity for all of eternity.

The sign of Jonah is so insignificant in comparison.

Paul comes on the scene and tells us that we are called to be signs.

Yes, you are called to be a visible sign.

You are called to be a sign because 

you are called to be holy.

You are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

It is through obedience of faith that it is possible

 to receive the grace of apostleship.

It is by this very grace that

you are filled with the

Spirit of holiness.

You do not need to be swallowed up by a big fish

before you can become a sign of hope...

a sign of salvation.

Is it evident by the way you live your life

that you belong to Jesus Christ?

This is the tough question you must answer.

Do you believe that you have been claimed 

by God to be one of his own?

I know, you do not feel worthy,

but let go of that thought because it is irrelevant.

Remember all things are possible for God,

therefore you do belong to Jesus.

He understands all of your doubts, failings,

short comings and still he calls you to 

partake in his Spirit of holiness.

Once Jonah and Saint Paul responded in obedience to God

they were strengthened with the necessary grace 

to go forth as a messenger of God.

You have this same opportunity.

Make your life a visible sign of what you believe.

You may never know who may be changed because of you.

Blessed to be claimed by Jesus.

Be determined to live accordingly.

~~~Peace~~~

Faithful Obedience

~~~ Solemnity of Saint Joseph ~~~

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:4-5A, 12-14A, 16 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~

~~~ Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24A ~~~~

Faith is about holding on when you cannot see
where the path is leading you.

Joseph is one of the central figures in the Bible...a key player,
yet his words are not recorded on those pages.

The actions of Joseph make up for his lack of words.
Joseph allowed his faith in the unknown take him into a greater life.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham...

According to the law Joseph had every right
to abandon Mary once he had knowledge of her pregnancy.
No one would have questioned his decision
to terminate his relationship with her.

God spoke to Joseph in a dream.
Messages in dreams are as real as if you were awake.
This is what must have happened with Joseph;
he did not waiver from what he was told in his sleep.

The faith of Joseph was somehow strengthened.
Any doubts he might have entertained were removed from his heart.
He let God use him in spite of what the laws were dictating.

We have many examples of faith through out the Bible.
The faith and obedience of Joseph made it possible
for Mary and Jesus to be protected by God.

Reflecting on Saint Joseph today
let your own faith be renewed.

Joseph had no reason to stay with Mary...
other than his faith.
He was true to his calling,
even in his apparent silence.

Joseph loved Jesus as his own child;
we must always remember.
Joseph provided and protected Mary and Jesus

being faithful to God.

We pray today for all fathers.
We pray that they will take their vocation of father seriously.
It is a great honor to be a father.

Blessed to be inspired by the faith of St. Joseph.
~~~Peace~~~ 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Steps in Obedience

~~~Second Sunday of Lent~~~

~~~ Genesis 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ 

~~~Romans 8:31B-34 ~~~ Mark 9:2-10 ~~~

 I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Abraham was a good, faithful, God fearing man.

He walked before the Lord almost to a fault, in our eyes.

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his flesh and blood, 

his own son, if it was God's will.

I know I would not have been able to commit 

such an act of obedience.

The Lord put Abraham to the ultimate test.

Abraham loved his son and he loved his God.

How was he able to discern the right action to take?

Abraham believed with his whole being

 that God needed for him to sacrifice his son,

God waited until he was about to make the final act 

of obedience until he stopped him.

I have this picture of Abraham's hand raised ready to come down 

with the ax when he heard the voice of God.

God was greatly impressed with Abraham.

I will bless you abundantly 

and make your descendants as countless... 

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore...

This is a promise that we stand as witnesses to in the present time.

We are among those who are the descendants of Abraham.

God the Father sent his only Son whom he loved greatly to die for us.

During the Transfiguration we see the shadow cast by the cloud 

and then we hear the voice of God.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 

from the cloud came a voice, 

“This is my beloved Son.

Abraham was not in the shadow of any cloud;

 he was walking with his God.

Jesus was obedient to the Father

 just as Abraham was obedient to God.

Abraham gained for all his future generations favor with God.

Jesus gained for us through his obedience eternal 

salvation for all future generations.

God calls each of us his Beloved...

during Lent it is especially humbling

 to consider oneself to be one of God's Beloved.

Returning to God with our whole being...

allowing God to love us...

this is the message of Lent each and every year.

Allow God to Bless you as his 

Beloved Daughter or Beloved Son.

We belong to him...we are his.

~~~Peace~~~

Freely Choosing Obedience

~~~ Romans 6:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 124 ~~~ Luke 12:39-48 ~~~

 

But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart...
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

Historically we know that the practice of keeping slaves

 has been around for centuries.

Slave...a person who is the legal property of someone and is forced to obey.

Slaves were usually held against their will and worked excessively.

 

Recently there have been movies made about

the realities of slavery in our country...

"12 Years a Slave" being the most recent, which you may not

 even know is in theaters. It is to be released in most cities on November 1.

While this is not a blog about such topics it is important to note

 that slavery does still exist in our world today.

 

No matter what you feel about slavery, Paul speaks of it

in his letter to the Romans.

They could understand the concept of slavery

Paul, however, is turning the concept of slavery upside down.

 

Paul says what if...you present yourselves as obedient salves?

If we present ourselves as slaves, obedient to the truth

the reality shifts.

We have two choices...we can either be slaves

 of sin or obedient to God.

When we look back at our lives

where do we find the greatest presence of God?

 

God is most evident in our lives when we choose

to walk in righteousness with him.

We can choose to be a 'slave' to God's holy way.

 

Being in the clutches of sin is much like being owned as a slave.

The longer you stay in sin the more the sin holds on to your soul.

The sin begins to fool you into believing

that you have no choice.

 

We always have the choice to escape from our sinfulness.

Jesus paid the price to set us free...he died for that reason.

Jesus was brutally and publically abused so that we

could be free from the slavery of sin.

 

How can we be anything but grateful?

 

 

Grateful because we have been given the gift of grace to helps us.

We can be obedient to the call of holiness and avoid sin.

We must be vigilant, sin surrounds us on all sides.

Sin often disguises itself as greater freedom,

but it makes you a slave unto itself.

 

We are presented with good and evil every day.

Every day we must once again make our firm

commitment to take the path of the good.

It will be a challenge at times, but the end is so much better.

 

A freed slave is eternally grateful to the owner.

I would freely choose to be a slave for Christ,

but that is not how he wants us

to define our relationship with him.

Our relationship with God is one of loving freedom.

 

Blessings come in freely being obedient to God.

Praying for his protection from sin.

Praying for the grace to resist the temptation of sin.

Toxic Obedience

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

 

~~~ 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 ~~~ Psalm 90 ~~~ Mark 6:17-29 ~~~

 

A few months ago I met a young man, we will call Jack.  

Jack was on the move fleeing his home, his sister, and his parents.

He was searching for a safe place to live.

He was going from city to city staying with friends hoping

 to find a place to make his home.

He needed to then look for a job.

He told me he could not stay with his family any longer.

He could not even stay in the same city.

He was obviously anxious about his future.

You see Jack was in a toxic family.

His parents were drug users. They also sold drugs to support their habit.

His sister was a prostitute most likely to support her drug habit as well.

Jack told me he tried to live with them, but he just could not

do it any longer.

He knew in his heart that he had to get out;

he had to get away from their influence.

I told him how much I admired his courage and strength.

I told him I would remember him in my prayers.

 

 

In the Gospel today we have the extreme example of the toxic family.

Herod's daughter, Salomé, had great love for her mother.

She trusted her mother. She sought counsel from her mother.

But on this particular day it was not good for her

 to heed her mother's advice.

 

To honor your father and mother does not absolve

the parents from right and wrong.

Herodias, the mother in this passage is filled with the darkness of sin.

This darkness had so clouded her soul

that nothing would stand in the way

of her having what she wanted.

 

John the Baptist spoke out against Herod

taking his brother's wife, Herodias.

Because of this, Herod had confined behind bars.

Herod thought that with John in prison he could go on with his sinful life.

Pleasure was his first goal, all types of pleasure.

 

When Salomé is presented with choosing anything

 her little heart desires,

she runs straight to mother for advice.

If committing adultery was not bad enough

 now she seizes the opportunity

to be the instigator in the murder of John the Baptist.

She descends into the depths of the ultimate sin; using her daughter.

 

Here is where I see the contrast between the young man Jack and Herod's daughter.

Salomé obeyed her mother without even questioning her request. 

Could she really have been so naïve as to think this was acceptable?  

 

When is it appropriate for a child to disobey?

Do we teach children that there are situations

when disobedience may be necessary?

 

Please join me today in praying for children all over the world

who are faced with toxic obedience decisions. 

I pray for more children to have the courage of Jack.

I pray that he has found a safe place to live in this world.

 

We hear of parents having to exercise 'tough love',

but we rarely hear of a child who must exercise the same 'tough love'.

 

Blessings for all children living in toxic family environments.

 

Herodias' daughter missed the chance

 to escape the darkness of her mother's sinfulness. 

Instead she too was caught up in the web of evil

through her toxic obedience.

Obedience to God

 

~~~ Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16 ~~~ Psalm 106 ~~~ Matthew 7:21-29 ~~~

 

Living most of my life along the coast,

I am very much aware of the best place to build your house.

The closer you build your house to the sandy beach

 the more likely the next hurricane will wash it away.

 

The sand washes in with the high waters and is quickly swept out to sea.

Once the sand has become unstable the greater the chance

 it will be unable to hold your foundation.

 

The opposite is also true, if you anchor your foundation firmly into rock

it will be much more stable even under the attack

of hurricane force winds.

 

If we hear the words of God and do not act according to his will

 it will be as if we have built our house on the sand. 

The first crisis life hurls at us we will be down on the dirt.

 

'Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

...And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.'

 

  

...only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 

 

 Paying Sunday lip service to God will not be enough to get you into heaven.

 You must conform yourself to the will of God.
Doing the will of God even when you mat not understand.
Doing the will of God when it is difficult;
as in the case of Hagar.
She was near the living spring waters when she heard God's message.
She fled her abusive mistress, but God's messenger sent her back.
She was pregnant with Abram's son, Ishmael.
God had given her new life...she carried it in her womb.

God blessed her with a child and heard her prayers
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.

Hagar was blessed because she was obedient to God.
She was obedient in the face of difficult circumstances.
It is easy to do the will of God when his will and our desires coincide.
The real test of obedience comes
when we must obey even though his will is not our will.

 

God will never put us in a situation to do wrong.
Doing the will of God is right and just even when we cannot see with his eyes.

Blessings come through obedience to God's will.

The Obedient Child

~~~ Feast of the Holy Family ~~~

 

~~~Sirach 3:2-6,12-14~~~Psalm 128~~~Colossians 3:12-21~~~Luke 2:41-52~~~

 

 

Jesus stays behind in the temple without telling Mary and Joseph.

Jesus is acting like a typical child.

He knew he was okay so why would his parents need to be worried.

Obviously at age twelve Mary and Joseph trusted him to be more responsible.

They were actually shocked that he had not told them.

They did not have cell phones or 'gps' to track him.

 

'...After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers...'

 

It is common in large families to think your child is safely

with another family member when in fact they are not.

This is exactly what happens to the Holy Family.

Today the authorities can issue as amber alert, but in the time of Jesus

the parents had to retrace their steps looking for their child.

 

Family dynamics have not changed much in all of history.

Parents still have expectations of their responsiblity for their children.

Children still want to test their independence.

 

Jesus accepted Mary and Joseph's concern for him.

He did not argue even though he did give them a reason for his behavior.

He left the temple and returned home with them.

 

"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

 

 

Saint Paul gives us the best qualities for every family to strive toward...

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.

 

If we can treat all members of our family with compassion, kindness,

forgiveness, and love we would all have better

a relationship with one another.

 

Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph just as he was

obedient to the Father who sent him to be one of us.

 

Mary and Joseph did not yell and scream at Jesus;

they did ask him for an explanation for his behavior after finding

that he was safe.

 

During the holidays families can become very stressed.

Before you over react take a deep breath and recall

the Holy Family.

Above all else love your family.

Obedience of a Child

~~~ Ezekiel 2: 8-3: 4 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Mathew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14 ~~~

You are what you eat,

literally and figuratively.

The Lord God placed before the prophet a special meal.

Initially Ezekiel is scolded as you would speak to a disobedient child.

"...obey me when I speak to you..

 be not rebellious...

but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you."

God is speaking with authority over Ezekiel as a parent to child.

Stern but loving....I saw a hand stretched out to me..

An obedient child does what he/she is told and does not ask questions.

Ezekiel was obedient to God.

So when God said,

"Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll,

then go, speak to the house of Israel."

Ezekiel did as he was told and was pleasantly surprised by what he tasted.

The scroll covered in the words of the Lord was as sweet as honey.

Ezekiel opened his mouth and God fed him on the scroll.

God was satisfying the hunger of the prophet in a way he would not

have conjured up on his own.

I am not sure if the words of God are always as sweet as honey.

They sometimes taste bitter and more like sour lemons.

"Lamentation and wailing and woe!"

I have wished that I could consume the words of the Bible.

 So that they would be such a part of my being that I was one with them.

For all that you eat becomes part of every living cell in your body.

If the words of scripture could be part of every cell in my body

just maybe I would be a better person.

My lips would only speak the words from the Lord himself.

These words of the Lord would be the only joy of my heart.

The disciples ask Jesus,

"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"

He certainly must have surprised them with his answer

to become like children...humble...

The nature of the question tells us they were ready to compare themselves

to those who may have not been following Jesus at that particular time.

Becoming like a child is one thing, but he added the whole humility bit.

Becoming humble takes eating the scroll and allowing it to become

part of the fiber of your being.

In some way or another we all fall into the trap of thinking we are better

than so and so because we_______.

You can fill in the blank with any number of things.

Lord, help me to consume your words, accepting them in humility,

without trying to compare or control.

I freely take the scroll containing your holy words.

I promise childlike obedience to your words.

Do You Want to be Healed?

~~~ 2 Kings 5: 1-15 ~~~ Psalm 42-43 ~~~ Luke 4: 24-30 ~~~

Why do we question God's will?

Children are forever asking 'why' they have to obey or to follow directions. But the truth be told adults are much the same way. I find that I am often questioning why this or why that. We do not see the reasons for doing something a certain way or at a certain time.

Today in the second book of Kings we find Naaman asking this very question; 'Why?'

Why is it necessary for him to bathe in a specific river namely the river Jordan?

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. It flows down into the Sea of Galilee. The Dead Sea is the final resting place for this flow of water.

Today the waters of the Jordan River are a major point of division among the neighboring peoples of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinians.

In ancient times the River Jordan was viewed as a source of fertility.

It is said to be the 'Garden of God'.

At the time, Naaman did not know the importance of the Jordan River, but the prophet Elisha had the insight to send him there to be cured. Naaman had the terrible disease of leprosy, a dread disease which kept the person by law separated from the rest of society. The concern of a little slave child for her master prompted him to seek healing from the prophet, Elisha.

The faith of a child is pure and sincere. The innocence of our childhood is mostly a mere anomaly of our past. God was at work here though or this child would not have been given any attention or taken seriously.

The initial petition for healing was presented to the wrong person; the king of Israel, since he was not the one who could prophesy he misinterpreted the request. How many times do we make our requests known to the wrong person. We place our trust in things of the world hoping they will bring us the happiness we are seeking.

Finally Naaman arrives at the door of Elisha where he is told to wash not once but seven times in the Jordan River. His first reaction was to leave in anger thinking this prescription for healing was absurd. He does not consider this river to be of any special significance.

The number seven is one of the most significant numbers in the Bible. Most importantly the number seven represents wholeness and completeness.

The healing and cleansing of Naaman's body only occurs when he is obedient to the words of the prophet. We too can only be healed of our sins and cleansed of guilt by being obedient to the words of God. By living our life as he modeled for us loving and forgiving others. Spreading peace and compassion along the way.

We must leave the comfort zone of what is familiar to be healed. Elisha was in Israel and Naaman came from Syria. Our comfort zone may be our own mind set and beliefs about the healing power of God.

Jesus came to heal our souls; to make us whole and complete in him. For it is only in God that we can attain complete wholeness.

Dip into the healing river of living water and renew your life in Christ.