One of my favorite devotion books is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. On October tenth, he wrote,
“All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately…Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up…God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you already know.”
We must never fall into the trap of thinking that God will always give us only “big” things to do. Jesus took a towel and began to wash the disciples’ feet (John 13:3-5).
Through his act of servant leadership, he demonstrated the obedience we should have on a daily basis in the mundane activities of everyday life. Jesus raised the dead, but he also washed the feet. Click & Tweet!
One evening Steve and I were on our way to dinner. Just before we arrived, I saw three teenage girls walking into another restaurant in the same area where we were going to eat. One of the girls had been in a small group I had led for two years. I felt God nudging me to go into the restaurant and pay for their dinners
“Steve, there’s Christine,” I said. “I believe God wants me to pay for those girls’ dinners.”
Steve, being a man who listens to God, whipped the car around and headed toward the door.
“Hi, girls,” I said as I walked up to them in line.
“Hi, Mrs. Jaynes. What are you doing here?”
“May I take your order?” the cashier interrupted.
“Go ahead girls,” I urged. “You go first.”
Each girl ordered and then the cashier turned to me. “And you ma’am.
“Oh, I’m not having anything. I just came in to pay for these girls’ dinners.”
The threesome was very surprised and very appreciative. I ran back out to our car, feeling a warm sense of listening and obeying.
The next day, Christine called. “Mrs. Jaynes,” she said “thank you so much for paying for our dinners last night. My friends were so touched. No one has ever done anything like that for any of us before. See, last night, they wanted to go out to dinner, but I told them I couldn’t afford it. So they were going to pay for mine. Then you came in and well…thanks.”
Obeying God only cost me $19.95, but the lesson to Christine, and her two friends was invaluable. Jesus said, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).
Obeying God begins with heeding the simple nudges. Don’t be afraid! Many people are afraid to obey those nudges because they aren’t absolutely sure it is God’s voice.
I’ve decided that if the inner prompting lines up with Scripture and is consistent with God’s character and ways, then I’d rather err on the side of obedience than the side of caution.
“We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks…Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God…I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it” (O. Chambers, June 15).
“If I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God” (O. Chambers November 2).
My prayer is that I will be able to say like the prophet Isaiah, “He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5).
Have you been asking God, “What do you want from me?” If so, you’re asking the wrong question. It’s not what God wants from you, but for you! He wants you to experience His presence on a daily basis…right in the middle of your busy, messy day. Open your eyes to see God’s fingerprints and hear His voice as you learn about God’s lavish response to your ache for something more. A Sudden Glory is all about how to experience an intimate relationship and sacred romance with Jesus as never before. (Includes a Bible study guide.)
Congratulations to Angela Fields–the winner of the free copy of Trusting God from a previous post.
Comments 13
Thank you Sharon for a much needed reminder of obedience and thank you Lord for your timing of this post…
Hugs and blessings.
I like the Oswald Chambers quote, the pin hole reminded me of the recent eclipse, we can hardly behold His glory, It is nice to see through the pin holes and obedience leads to joy.
Beautiful
Thank you for putting my thoughts to words, Sharon! I have just recently felt this myself, as I become more obedient to the little things God has given me, new things are opening up. I know that this pattern will only become more and more evident as I am still in myself and listen for His voice in His time.
I really needed this today! Thank you!
Having received a bit of back pay money from Social Security; I was nudged to order two “Battlefield of The Mind” sets when I ordered on for myself. Now; I’m sending it to a faraway, most dear woman who has been my reliable & loving friend for over thirty years. AND, I’m so excited that I am able to also include a monetary gift…something she also needs. All at God’s nudging and with great joy! Thank you, Father!
Great devotion! I needed this reminder as well.
Before the beginning of the school year, I gathered and bought school supplies for a friend who was having hard times financially and couldn’t afford all of the supplies for her 3 children. As I put the items in a bag, I felt a nudge to grab a dictionary that has been sitting on my shelf for years. I ended up grabbing it, but felt crazy because I was sure that it was outdated and probably useless in today’s age since everything can be found on the internet.
When I got to her house and dropped the supplies off, she noticed the dictionary I was carrying and asked what I was reading. I told her it was a dictionary and asked if the children needed it. Turns out, her son needed it for his class and she was so grateful that I brought it with me because she couldn’t find one! That was truly a God nudge because I would have never considered grabbing it.
My husband and I were busy painting a room in our home. The name of a good friend came to mind. I felt God prompting me to contact her. I hadn’t spoken to her in quite a while so I wasn’t really sure what was going on in her life. However, I was busy painting! So, I continued to work. Eventually I heard a shout, “Put that paintbrush down now!” I did what God asked, and although I felt foolish, I sent a text to my friend with a prayer concerning whatever her circumstances of the moment might be. She immediately replied in tears, because she was going through a very difficult time. The prayer encouraged her and lifted her spirits in her time of trial.
I have felt God’s nudge many times. Once, when I was at work I felt a strong need to call someone that I don’t usually call on the phone. But, I was at work and thought, sure, I’ll call her when I get home. Then, I felt a strong sense of urgency…it had to be done NOW. So I called her. I was crying and told her that the Lord wanted me to tell her that He loved her. She had been feeling really depressed and said that phone call had prevented her from hurting herself! WOW! God used me in a powerful way that day. How exciting to know that the maker of the universe used ME! So grateful to God for showing both of us His love!
One year, my room moms, sensing my need for relaxation, gifted me $150 gift card to a expensive spa near my house. As I thanked them for the thoughtful gift, I heard God’s voice whisper, “ it’s not for you.” Instead of taking it home and making an appointment, I hid it in my desk drawer until God revealed to me the person who needed it more than me. One afternoon, I was sitting at my desk and the sweet lady in charge of vacuuming my room walked in with a large backpack vacuum attached to her back. When I asked her how everything was going, she started talking about her life… her pain…her family… her faith… an hour later, I knew she was the true recipient of the gift card… I handed it to her and tears of joy welled up in her eyes. She told me how much my gesture meant to her, but as she hugged me, I told her… this gift is from God…
Only through the grace of God I write poetry, and felt God asking me to read it in church during prayer time. I obeyed but was so nervous I was sweating.
First I love your devotions. I often write excerpts in my faith journal just for quick reference! I work at a doctors office and we had a patient come in several months ago that was incarcerated in the local jail; she was handcuffed, shackled and escorted by the sheriff that day. She had a follow up appointment about a month later, when asked for a current address, she stated she had been released from jail but was currently homeless. We often have pharmaceutical companies provide luncheons as a way to propose their products to our physicians and we just happened to have had a luncheon the day before with plenty of food left over. I felt God’s nudging so I gave the women a tray of sandwiches and put her in an empty testing room, not being used that day. The room is furnished with recliners and a TV. This allowed her to get to eat, get some warmth and just sleep. After that, I felt more nudging to share God’s word; I awoke her 2 hours later with a paper containing some various scripture that I felt would encourage her on the rest of her life journey. I recently saw that she is back in jail but prayerfully she kept her paper of scripture and will reference it often and she will heed God’s nudging for a better life for herself and will stay encouraged.
About 20 years ago, I watched TBN a lot. One month, they give away a book about men going to hell and coming back to tell about it. I can’t remember the name of the book. Not long after I recieved it, God told me to get $50, that book and put it in the mailbox of a man down the street. I really didn’t know him. He was raising 2 kids alone. God told me to go at 3am so no one would see me. I was pretty poor and it was hard giving up that money, but I didn’t hesitate doing what God told me. After all these years, i don’t know what the outcome was.