Fit for the Master's Use

Common sense tells us that obedience is a must in order to be the most fit possible for the Master's use. Proverbs 3:5 states: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

We used to sing the song "Trust and Obey" as a hymn of invitation. "Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."

I have found both the Scripture verse as well as the song to not only be accurate but helpful. We will be in Acts 5:22-41 on Sunday. Verse 29 states: "We ought to obey God rather than men." We will also consider 2 Samuel 15:21-23 that states: "obedience is better than sacrifice."

This is what delights our God: for His children to walk in obedience and trust Him. God wants and needs to know that He can trust us to do what He expects and what He requires. The opposite of obedience is rebellion. When we obey Him, the Spirit is received, joy is achieved and the Gospel is believed. The setting in Acts is one where the Disciples are preaching Jesus. They are arrested for it. An Angel of the Lord sets them free and they go right back to preaching the Gospel. They know what was needed and they would not be stopped "no matter what" the consequences. God entrusted them with the beginning of the Church Age and they were not going to fail Him. God enlists those who will answer His call and respond to the need of the hour. We learned last week from Luke 15 that Heaven rejoices over one who comes to salvation in Christ. Obedience to the ministry of soul winning is not just a -

1) Duty to be preformed

2) Debt to be paid

3) Delight to be preferred

but it is a Decision to be practiced.

Let's get to it.