OBEDIENCE

Because God loves mankind, he provided for his eternal welfare. He created a wonderful place called heaven, and because man is unable to save himself, God sent his Son to this earth to offer himself as a ransom for our sins. He gave us a plan whereby we may benefit from the shed blood of Christ. He decreed that those who would believe on his Son (John 8:24) repent of their sins (Acts 17:30); confess their faith in Christ before men (Rom.10:9,10), and be baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins (Rom.6:3,4; Acts 2:38) would be cleansed from the guilt of past sins and added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47). He further provided that those who continued to serve him, obeying his will from a heart of love, would inherit that eternal home with him (Matt.7:13,14; 25:34). God has promised all the help that one needs in obeying His will. He promises that he will never leave nor forsake us, and he promises that we will never be tempted above our ability to overcome. However, despite the promises of God, there are those who hesitate to obey his will. Some just do not want to give up worldly pleasures. Apparently, they feel that the immediate pleasure is worth more than a promise of eternal happiness or a threat of everlasting punishment in a devil’s hell. This attitude is very dangerous. Many feel that they will turn to God when they have grown tired of “living it up.” If we had a guarantee that we would live until that time arrives, then it wouldn’t be such a gamble, but we have no such guarantee. People are dying daily, and many of them unexpectedly. In fact, very few people die as they had expected to. Therefore, the only safe course is to obey the gospel of Christ and then live a faithful Christian life. (Heb.5:8,9).

While there are some who have no intention of obeying God’s commands, there are a few who want to do so but just do not have the courage to stand up and be counted for Christ. These need encouragement; they need to be assured that the help they will need in living a Christian life is available to them. Why not make a real effort to help them? You might be the one, among all people, who can lead some soul to Christ. If you were lost, wouldn’t you appreciate someone teaching and encouraging you? Then, let us practice the golden rule. Jesus said, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them…” (Matt.7:12)