Sometimes, some days feel like a homerun! You got up early, exercised, had a quiet time, got the carpool to school on time, and dinner is in the crockpot.
Sometimes, some days you feel like you struck out, you overslept, ate a pop tart for breakfast, you are unsure of what the kids wore to school (one might or might not have had on pajama bottoms), and it’s 5:30 and you are surprised that your people would like to eat.
And most times, most days, you are right in the middle: some things went well, and some things did not.
Here is the good news. Your audience of One, He cares about one thing and one thing only: your heart! It?s all about obedience, not the outcome. And not only that, He promises a helper to help us obey!
John 14 is a perfect layering of obedience, Holy Spirit, obedience, Holy Spirit?
Verse 15: ?If you love me, keep my commands.” (Obedience & love)
Verse 16: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever? the Spirit of truth.” (Holy Spirit)
Verse 21: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.? (Obedience=love)
Verse 26: But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
You know what I love about these verses? They make me think of cake! A grand, two-layered chocolate cake, with raspberry filling, icing and sprinkles! Don?t you agree?
A nice chocolate vanilla marbled layer of obedience & love. All swirled together, never to be separated again.
Then a sticky layer of Holy Spirit filling (raspberry of course), a promise that the Holy Spirit will help me forever, then another nice marbled layer of obedience & love, and another sticky layer of Holy Spirit filling (a promise that Holy Spirit will remind and teach me).
And then the proverbial icing (cream cheese of course) on the cake! A nice thick layer of Peace, and no trouble/no fear sprinkles!
Verse 27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
The Holy Spirit, our helper, will be with us forever and teach us and remind us of all things. Why? So that we can be obedient. Never once does the Word say, “And if you do all things well, if you hit it out of the park, if you are perfect then you love me.”
No, when it comes to the assignments of life, it is simply about obedience.
If you are having one of those everything is going great days, remember it?s about obedience.
If you are having one of those nothing is going great days, remember it?s about obedience.
If you are having just a plain old normal day, remember it?s about obedience.
And there is nothing plain, old or normal about that!