Life Capsule for Today Date: 14th April, 2024
Theme: Obedience (2)
Memory Verse: 1 Sam 15:22b
22 …. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams KJV
Topic: The price of obedience
Text: Matt 19:20-26
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Words of the Ministry:
Yesterday we began our lesson on obedience, we said obedience as a life lesson is taught from home even from our young ages, parents instill obedience in their children and the extent of obedience at times suggests how disciplined our children are. We said the disobedience of Adam affected the entirety of the human race, God takes obedience seriously and we should too. The level of obedience God expects from us is not only greater than that of our earthly parents as it is of a far higher standard, it is also such that we can’t do with our natural strength. Our level of obedience is empowered by the indwelling Spirit as he doesn’t just make us love to obey God but also empowers us to do what God demands (Eze 36.26).
As we walk with the Lord, we realize that the demands of God are far beyond our natural ability, we then see how much help the Holy Spirit is to us. For instance, the Lord commands us to love our neighbors regardless they are good or bad, bless those that curse us and forgive if we want to be forgiven, we should love God above our parents and family, we must be ready to die if need be for him and the gospel just to mention a few. Looking through the list, we would agree that it’s very difficult if not impossible to obey all this instruction, at such point we see the limits of the human ability and love, we see how poor and selfish the obedience we learnt from our homes is and the need of the divine life’s help.
Considering the demands of obedience and the price we are to pay, we may like the rich young ruler in today’s reading get discouraged and like the apostles ask the question, if it is possible to inherit ultimate salvation with God as his demands seem too stringent. The price of obedience would bring us at variance with the society, our family, our children, spouses and even ourselves. 2 Tim 3:12 “12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”, to live Godly is to live a righteous life and to the world and even to our flesh, we are going to have conflicts, we would be called names, lose opportunities, misunderstood and may even be violently attacked. Dear saints, as painful as it may be, the Lord has us covered as there are several rewards awaiting our labour of love, the ultimate is the reward of God’s kingdom (Mat 5.10-12), You are blessed with the Spirit of glory, (1 Pet 4.14), It would perfect you character (Rom 5.3-5, Jam 1.2-4), you would receive a crown as reward (Rev 3.11), you would receive 100 fold of everything you might have lost both now and in eternity (Mat 19.29).
Bible in one year: 2 Sam 13-15 For further fellowship send us an email on godmanvideos@gmail.comor visit our youtube channel: @godmanmedia. You can also interact with us by dropping your comments on our facebook page. Our physical meeting, Word feast comes up every Wednesday by 5pm and Prayer Gym every Saturday by 7am while PENIEL comes up once a month, every last Sunday of the month from 4pm to 6.30pm at Suite A10, Ahser Office Complex, beside Living Faith Church, Opposite Hassan Stores, Arab Road, Kubwa Abuja.