Wednesday, January 29, 2020

"Cruise Control" Obedience

1 Corinthians  9:24  
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, 
but one receiveth the prize? So run, 
that ye may obtain."

    We have to discipline our bodies; it is one of the neglected facts of the spiritual life that very often spiritual depression springs from nothing else than physical unfitness. If a man is going to do his best work in anything he must bring to it a body as fit as he can make it. We have to discipline our minds; However, many believers today practice the "Cruise Control" approach to obedience.
    We all know what cruise control is because most likely we use every time we're out cruising down the highway in our vehicles. We set a speed we want, ease back and relax a little. We don't have to watch our speed because the cruise control is doing for us, and we don't get that tired and numb feeling from pressing down on the gas pedal for a long period of time. It's very convenient and relaxing. 
    However we tend to obey God in the same way. What happens is this; we press the pedal of obedience until we have brought our behavior up to a certain level of "speed."  The level of obedience is most often determined by the behavior standard of other Christians around us. We don't want to lag around behind them because we want to be as spiritual as they are. At the same time, we're not eager to forge ahead of them because we wouldn't want to be different. We want to just comfortably blend in with the level of  those around us. Once we reach the comfortable level of obedience, that's when we push the "Cruise Control" button in our hearts, then sit back and relax. But what we must think about is this; We may be Comfortable with our level of obedience, but is God comfortable with our obedience. 
    My Friends,  We need to know our goal. A distressing thing is the obvious aimlessness of the lives of so many people; they are drifting anywhere instead of going somewhere. "Are you not going anywhere; or are you just going." Remember, to go just anywhere is the certain way to arrive nowhere."  We need to know the worth of our goal. Certainly we cannot serve others until we have mastered ourselves; we cannot teach what we do not know; we cannot bring others to Christ until we ourselves have found him. The Goal is Life Eternal, and surely it is worth anything to win that. 
Amen!

Reading: 1 Cor. 9:24-27
Ref: HGSB; BDSB
May God Bless You
And Your Family
Minister Robert A. Lail Sr. 
The Cross Life Ministry




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