Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s examine Christ’s standard of obedience.

Today’s scripture, Hebrews 5:7‭-‬9 (NLT), shares…
While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.

Consider…
One of the blessings of writing this blog is that it allows me to discover new scriptures, like today’s.

When I asked the Holy Spirit which Christ standard to examine, He led me to obedience. In my BibleApp word search for ‘Christ obedience’, I found the scripture for today.

As I read the verses above, I discovered a few elements of obedience that may help us obey like Christ.

First, Christ had an open and honest dialogue with God. This observation comes from…
While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death.

Reading that immediately led me to Gethsemane. Remember Luke 22:41‭-‬44 (NLT), which said…
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

In the past when I read this, I only focused on nevertheless not mine but thine will be done. However, today the Holy Spirit gave me new insight…

• Jesus prayed privately (He walked away)
• Jesus prayed humbly (knelt down)
• Jesus prayed honestly (Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me)
• Jesus prayed submissively (Yet I want your will to be done, not mine)

The insight didn’t end with how Jesus prayed. The Holy Spirit showed me the intensity and desperation with which Jesus prayed. He prayed so hard that He was weak. Look at the passage, it says…
Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.

And Jesus was in such overwhelming agony about his suffering that the passage says…
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

Jesus’ transparency let’s us see that openness and honesty precede true obedience. That’s because obedience acknowledges doing God’s will may cost you your comfort (suffering) and life.

Speaking of costing everything, I am reminded that Jesus gave up His divinity, regality, and humanity in obedience to God. Philippians 2:7‭-‬8 (NLT)
explains…
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

This shows us, obedience requires giving up our entitlements for God’s requirements. As the Son of God, Jesus was entitled to everything in Heaven and on earth, afterall He created it. But Philippians 2:6 (NLT) says…
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

You see Jesus had to die as a human, it’s what God required. Hebrews 2:14 (NLT) explains…
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

This shows us that obedience is required to fulfill God’s purpose. In fact, I submit it was Christ’s obedience, more than His sacrifice, that is the source of our salvation. I say that because today’s scripture says…
he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation

The Holy Spirit is flashing 1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT) in big neon letters to me…
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

I believe more people are willing to sacrifice to God than obey and submit to Him. That’s because we’re willing to give Him anything other than ourselves, which is the only thing He wants.

Wow, that was all my first element of obedience, which is open and honest dialogue with God. So I will be brief with the last two elements.

Element #2 is that obedience requires reverence.

When Jesus was tempted in the Wilderness by Satan, His response was always “scripture says” (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus saying scripture says is akin to a child saying, “my daddy said”. That shows our Heavenly Father’s words mean more than anything this world can offer.

Reverence says I value your will more than I value my desires. That sounds like a crucial element of obedience.

By the way, a bonus note about Jesus and the wilderness, He had to obey to get there. Remember, the scripture said…
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. – Matthew 4:1 NLT

This shows us that obeying the Holy Spirit may lead into testing of our obedience to God. That’s a good thing to remember when ask why and how did I get to this temping situation.

Okay, as promised, let’s hasten to the end with element #3, which is obedience is an ‘even though’ learning. Notice today’s scripture says…
Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

That ought to stop all seasoned sanctified saints in their tracks.

The writer said even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience! This means…

• Even though you’ve been saved, learn obedience from suffering.
• Even though you’ve been sanctified, learn obedience from suffering
• Even though God lives in you, learn obedience from suffering
• Even though you will be glorified, learn obedience from suffering

Our suffering would look and feel different if we adopted Christ’s ‘even though’ mindset.

You see an ‘even though’ mindset tells God that I know my obedience is nothing about me and mine, and all about Thee and Thine.

I encourage us to rethink suffering as obedience training for God’s complete transformation which will result in our Christ glorification.

The Holy Spirit explained this point using Romans 8:17‭-‬18 (NLT)…
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Notice Paul said if we want to share in Christ’s glory we have to share in His suffering. And from today’s scripture we understand Christ learned obedience from His suffering. Therefore, I reemphasize the fact that we need to change our thinking of suffering to being obedience training.

The Holy Spirit is leading me to close with Philippians 2:5‭-‬8 (KJV), which
exhorts us…
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Christ set the standard of obedience, by complete submission to His Father’s will! That’s the standard God requires of all of His children! So if you claim to be a child of God, then complete obedience to His will should be your motus operandi!

Obey God at all costs!

Today’s song is…
He Wants It All

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)