October 8

Today’s Readings: Deuteronomy 15-18; Mark 12:28-44

Today’s Thoughts:  Listen and Obey

 

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah:  "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."  So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.” 1 Kings 17:1-6

 

The message of the Lord to His prophet, Elijah, is readily accepted by the reader. Because the Lord’s commands are past tense, we have hindsight to say, “Isn’t it great that Elijah obeyed and did what God told him to do?” But if this was a command that God gave you, would you be as obedient? Let’s take the black and white words of the Word and look at this in living color. God told Elijah to hide, to drink from a brook and to eat road kill from ravens. These commands would be hard for me to accept. Personally, I would doubt if I was really hearing God’s voice speaking to me and I would wonder why I was the one running and hiding. But the Bible says in verse 5 that “he did what the LORD had told him.”

 

God will only give us as much as we can handle. As we become faithful to do what the Lord tells us in the small things, He will entrust us with bigger commands from Him. Elijah knew what it meant to listen and obey. He had a mighty ministry but the works of the ministry meant nothing in comparison to the obedience of his heart to do what the Lord had said. God could entrust a mighty ministry to an obedient heart. And an obedient heart just wants to please God regardless of the extent of the ministry.

 

We have the Bible; the Bible is a book of what God wants for us. The Lord will speak to you through the Bible if you are really willing to listen. The Lord will lead you if you really want His direction. The difficulty comes when God’s word doesn’t seem to make sense to our situation. So instead of doing what He says, we choose our own ways. Faith goes against the flesh. Most things God says to me make no sense to how I feel and what I see around me. As I listen and obey the smallest of commands, I have seen His faithfulness develop my faith to handle the next command. I want to do all the Lord tells me to do, like Elijah. I want to run the race He has set before me, even if it means hiding out and eating ravens’ food.

 

Pray about it: Lord, help me to be faithful with the little things so that I may be faithful with all You have for me.


Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.,
founded by Tonilee Adamson and Bobbye Brooks, embraces a vision to reach the world for Christ by teaching others how to be His daily disciples. Their mission is to evangelize the lost and to re-awaken the saved to live lives empowered by the Word of God and His Holy Spirit, and to teach and to train those who desire to grow, to serve and to have all that God has for them…encouraging everyone to be a daily disciple of Jesus Christ. From Bible studies to daily devotionals to daily radio programs to a comprehensive discipleshipprogram, Bobbye  & Tonilee have a passion to help others apply the Word of God to their lives every day.