Sunday, March 14, 2021

Thoughts for Reflection:
Christian obedience flows out of the Identity that is given us in Christ when we come to faith in Him. It is not, as we have discussed, done out of obligation or with the notion that we can earn or maintain our status before God. Obedience to Christ and His Word come as a grateful response to all that has been accomplished on our behalf through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. God invites us to see ourselves as He sees us, to live into the Identity He graciously gives us, and to then become what He has declared us to be.

As we think about Radical Obedience to the Holy Spirit as one of the ways we will be driven to carry out our Vision of boldly bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to every household in the greater Hopkins community, we turn our attention to those things which inhibit obedience. Fear, control, doubt, and presumption all fall into this list and show themselves as the opposite of discernment, trust and confident obedience. This morning we will look at several narratives in Scripture that illustrate the importance of ridding our lives of these enemies of obedience.

Questions to take home:
We read several narratives about people who struggled with obedience to God’s direction. What one of these narratives do you resonate with the most? How is God speaking into your life through it and what is He asking you to do?

How would you define “Radical Obedience” after what we’ve talked about over the last several weeks (Colossians 3:1-17, Romans 8:1-4, James 4:13-17)? How is God urging you to make adjustments in your life to be more radically obedient to His direction?

Would you say that you are “fully dependent” on God? Why or why not? Is there anything in your life that you need to alter to move toward greater dependence on God?

Read Proverbs 3:4-5. This week, I encourage you to memorize these two verses. As you pray this week, ask God to help you live into them. When you find yourself struggling, quote it to yourself and ask God for wisdom on how to handle what you are experiencing.