Day 4: Don’t wait until God speaks to you.

1. God doesn’t speak to us about things that he commanded us to do in the scripture.
2. God speaks to us when we are walking in the commandments of what he has given us in scripture.
3. God opens doors of opportunity when we have already began walking in his ways.

Final Thoughts

The economy of God is rather simple, obedience precedes communication and relationship. God wants to see that we can be obedient to what He has given us in the scripture: repentance, baptism, spirit infilling, holiness and abstaining from sin, share our testimony, teach this Gospel, make disciples. If we do these things which are the basic commandments, then scripture shows us how He will begin to open up opportunities and direct us to people. Please notice, our path to disciple making doesn’t begin with God creating an opportunity or God directing us, our path to disciple making begins when we go, we begin to try and make disciples, teaching them and sharing our testimony, and leading them into covenant relationship through baptism in Jesus name. We may not be altogether successful when we attempt that, but the faithful just sows the seed and God grows it. We just have to intentionally try to follow the great commission of go, make, teach and baptize and then God will begin to speak to you, open up opportunities, and direct you to specific people.

Biblical Devotion

The devotion today focuses on obey the commandments of Jesus. It is selected from the John 14 and 15, when Jesus presents himself to His disciples after the resurrection.

John 14:8-21  Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”  (9) Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (10)  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. (11)  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. (12) “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (13)  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (15) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (16) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, (17)  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (18) “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (19) Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (20)  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (21) Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

John 14:22-31  Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”  (23) Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (24)  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. (25) “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. (26)  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (27) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (28)  You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. (29) And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. (30) I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, (31)  but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

John  15:1-16  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. (2)  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (3)  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. (4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (5)  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (6) If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. (7)  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (8) By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (9) As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (10) If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (11)  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (12) “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (13) Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (14) You are my friends if you do what I command you. (15) No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (16)  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.