Better than good greetings, in Jesus’ most colourful name!
Beloved, I have better than good news of the Kingdom for you, today!
Most Christians obey the Father, not to honour Him but to avoid the negative consequences of disobedience, even though that is good as it may, it’s not a healthy relationship.
That is mere religion!
In religion, there are formalities but no power because the (HEART FELT) LOVE RELATIONSHIP which is the basis of conferring divine power isn’t there – Hebrews 1.3,5:(Amplified version); & Colossians 2.8,16-23:
Hebrews 1.
[3]”He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high”,
[5]”For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son”?
Colossians 2.8,16-23:
2:8 “Take care lest there be some one who leads you away as prisoners by means of his philosophy and idle fancies, following human traditions and the world’s crude notions instead of following Christ”(Weymouth’s New Testament translation).
16 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days”:
17 “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ”.
18 “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind”,
19 “And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God”.
20 “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances”,
21 (“Touch not; taste not; handle not”;
22 “Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men”?
23 “Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh”.
Christians are to obey the Father to SHOW LOVE to Him, to PLEASE, PLEASURE Him (by doing always the things that PLEASE Him) –
John 8.29:
“And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him”.
Our Father is to be HONOURED & obeyed primarily, fundamentally because He’s to be PLEASED, PLEASURED because of your LOVE relationship with Him.
Subsequently, He’s then to be obeyed to avoid the negative consequences of disobedience – Hebrews 5.7; & Luke 12.47-48:
Hebrews 5.7:
[7]”In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety, in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father]”.
Luke 47-48:
47 “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes”.
48 “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more”.
Then again, the Father is to be obeyed because you’ll be tremendously blessed: Deuteronomy 28.1-13; Revelation 11.18; & Exodus 23.25-26; 15.26:
Deuteronomy 28.1-13:
1 “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth”:
2 “And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God”.
3 “Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field”.
4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep”.
5 “Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store”.
6 “Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out”.
7 “The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways”.
8 “The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee”.
9 “The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways”.
10 “And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee”.
11 “And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee”.
12 “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow”.
13 “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them”:
Revelation 11.18:
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth”.
Exodus 23.25-26:
25 “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee”.
26 “There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil”.
Exodus 15.26:
“And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee”.
Our Father then should be obeyed because someone or some people, from time to time, in & outside the Church will be blessed by the blessings of your LOVE & OBEDIENCE, which also encourages –
Genesis 12.2-3; Galatians 6.9-10; & Matthew 22.39:
Genesis 12.2-3:
2 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing”:
3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”.
Galatians 6.9-10:
9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”.
10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith”.
Matthew 22.39:
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”.
Dearly beloved, LIVING & WALKING THE LOVE LIFE after the Pattern of the First Begotten Son, our Elder Brother, Jesus, brings you into the realms of the SUPERNATURAL where your TOTAL HEALTH & your entire LIFE become increasingly BETTER THAN GOOD, & you become a perpetual UNRESOLVABLE PUZZLE for the powers of darkness!
Stay continually blessed with better than good testimonies, in Jesus’ most colourful name!
PEACE!
JESUS IS LORD!