The will to obey!

After my father bought his first car, an old Standard 8 in 1963, we used to travel a lot by car. Our first dog was a mixed breed terrier by name Billy and from the time he was a pup, he loved the car rides! Once we were on our way to Tirunelveli by car, and we decided to stop to get down to a river and play in the water. In spite of my Dad's warnings, I dipped Billy into the water holding him in two hands. If I had let Billy into the water, he might have been free to swim. Seeing me, my Dad said, 'dip him well.' I missed the irritation in his tone and mistaking it for approval, dipped Billy again and again! Billy almost died that day, for he was barely two months old. He was shivering so much that we had to stop at a hotel to get warm milk for him!

This incident came to my mind when I read the story of Balaam in Numbers 22. When emissaries came from Balak, King of Moab, Balaam asked the Lord for direction. And the Lord replied without any ambiguity. "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed "(Num 22:12). After receiving the answer from the Lord, Balaam should not have even received them the second time. But he allowed them to stay overnight so that he can find out "what more" God had to say (v20). This time God allowed him to go! Peter says that Balaam "loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2Peter 2:15-16). Joshua 13:22 records that Balaam died "by the sword" during a battle. What a way to die for one who had been a prophet of the Lord, and had the privilege of talking to the Lord himself!

A believer is blessed with the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us in our everyday living. But many times, we choose deliberately to disregard His warnings and plunge into willful sins. It could be because of youthful lusts, love of money, or even due to pride and self-righteousness! When we disregard the still small voice, again and again, the Lord sometimes allows us to fall headlong into sin. While God is ready to forgive us anytime we return to Him, we cannot escape the consequences of our sin!

My friend, do not grieve the Holy Spirit by continuing in willful sins for "to obey is better than sacrifice" (2 Sam 15:22)

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 13th November 2019 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 13th November 2019

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