KICKSTART DEVOTIONAL

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On every Mission Discovery mission trip, we begin the morning together in God’s word. One speaker is chosen to give the word of the day so that everyone else can meditate on the Scripture. Our hope is that volunteers engage in group discussions throughout the day and in their small groups.

Since the way ministry is being done has shifted, our goal is to serve by creating resources that will help others focus on God throughout the day, and influence family and small group discussion.

Join us every weekday as we explore God’s word together. We will have speakers from all over the US and the world. Here is today’s Kickstart Devotional.

 

Video: Kelly Crawford // Obedience in Uncertain Times

https://youtu.be/m3ftmBnEwtE

 

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Obedience in Uncertain Times

Mission Discovery Mission Trips with Kelly Crawford

 

Kelly Crawford has been volunteering with Mission Discovery for several years. She has been on at least four mission trips and has also been an intern with us. She recently finished her degree and is working for Our Calling homeless ministry in Dallas, TX.

Okay. Howdy y’all. Good morning. My name is Kelly Crawford and just a little bit about my relationship with Mission Discovery. I went on my first mission trip with them the summer before my senior year of high school, I went to South Dakota. And then my senior year spring break I went to Jamaica. And then that summer I went to Nashville and then this past summer as the summer of 2019 I was an intern with them.

So I did three weeks in Jamaica, two weeks in Guatemala, one week in Nashville, one week in Westmoreland. Now I work full time for a homeless ministry in Dallas and I’m so excited to be able to just share something that the Lord has recently really been teaching me in the midst of just the craziness and the chaos and the unknown of all this. And so I want to talk about obedience and you know what does it look like to walk obedience.

What is obedience why should we walk in obedience and what does that look like right now.

So we’re gonna be in James 1 versus 22 – 25 and it says

“but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. For the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres being no hearer, he forgets. But a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

So we can look to Jesus himself for the example of obedience right.

Jesus was fully yielded to his father’s will and we see the full extent of his obedience and Philippians 2, verse 8

“as he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross.”

So while we just celebrated this past week in Easter right. Jesus was fully yield and it submitted to his father’s will which ultimately led him to the death on the cross.

And so if obeying the father out of love was primary of Jesus how can we as disciple makers create within his followers desire and habit of obedience and a culture of obeying Jesus. So right now our culture looks pretty different. So for some of us the only contact that we might have daily is with our family. And so how do we create this culture within our own immediate family of obeying Jesus.

Or if you’re an essential worker how do we create a culture of obeying Jesus at my place of work. Or whether it’s a Zoom Call or if you’re a college student you know how do I, ultimately how do I obey Jesus in the season of my life that I’m in and going back to what we read in James, that being doers of the word is ultimately obedience right.

Being obedient is being like I just said being doers of God’s word. Right. Not just people that hear it because being believers we aren’t just people that believe something. We are people who believe something and we do something about it right. Ultimately obedience is the engine of transformation. And so I could sit here and say yes I’m a believer.

I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus but not do anything. Not live a life that is obedient to the Lord right. I can live a life that does not reflect God’s word. And that is ultimately being disobedient right. And so that’s why by being a believer we are people who do something. We are people who look to God’s word in the scripture to determine how we live our life right.

And one of the most convicting things I’ve ever heard is that delayed obedience is disobedience. I must say it again delayed obedience is disobedience. And so what that means is let’s say that you know that the Lord is calling you to remove something from your life to get rid of a relationship, a job, maybe is telling you to have this conversation to make this change in your life.

But you’re saying not now. Lord I will do it when I am more financially secure. I will do it when this virus is over. I will do it when I’m more comfortable and that is still disobeying the Lord ultimately right. Because that is us and our prideful sinful selves saying I know better I think I know my life better than you Jesus. I think I know my timeline better than you. And so I’m going to say no to this right now and I’m going to put it off till later.

And obedience is validation of our faith, not the origin of it. And as evidence of our salvation, not the cause of it. And the essence of discipleship and the results of it. Being a believer means we should strive to walk in obedience and I will be the first to tell you obeying God is way easier on some days than others right.

Maybe we feel like something or someone is disrupting our attempts to follow God. Maybe it’s making the obedience way more difficult or uncomfortable. Maybe our plans seem to make way more sense than God’s plans. And honestly you know when obedience isn’t easy. Our greatest temptation is to simply give up and take an easier way right. And we think we know what’s best for ourselves.

We want to say hey hey look Lord I know your scripture I know you’re your truth and your words but I think I know better right. I’m gonna choose to not obey your word today you know because I’m pretty angry about the situation. I’m not comfortable about about this situation so I’m just gonna I’m not going to do it right now. And I know.

It’s really easy to honestly to put off our obedience right because a lot of us are isolated and so it’s easy to say you don’t know one No I don’t. I might not have anyone to hold me accountable to my walk with the Lord right now. I don’t have my community group. I’m not going to church every Sunday. I don’t have my Bible study or just my close friends my college roommates whatever it may be.

So it can be really easy in super tempting to not walk in obedience right now and I just want to encourage you all. Man, what a crazy time but also what an incredible time where we get to truly look at God’s word and say God’s word is good and I want to walk in obedience because of it.

I don’t want to just read God’s word and disregard it and say maybe later I’ll obey it but today I’m going to start walking in obedience with the Lord and in the midst of all this craziness, man we get an incredible opportunity to truly be the light right. We because we are believers we are set apart or our holiness right. Holiness basically just means being set apart and so we should look different than the rest of the world right now right.

We should be questioned of why aren’t you walking around with your head on a swivel, or your head cut off like a chicken. Say what the heck is going on. Because man, y’all our hope is secure in eternity. Our hope is not in our finances. Our hope is not in our job security. Our hope is not in the virus ending. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Man, we get a chance to walk in obedience with that.

And yes y’all it is so hard. It is so hard to walk in obedience. And it’s so hard to always be doers of the word because of our flesh right. But what a beautiful time or we get to create a culture of obeying Jesus and where we get to understand that delayed obedience is disobedience. And to say hey I’m going to start walking in obedience now. I’m not going to delay it till after the virus. I’m not going to delay it until I have a job and whatever it may be.

And so I want to ask some questions just to kind of reflect. So have you ever been tempted to give up on something and you know that you know God called you to do. Why do you think obedience is not always easy. And how are you being called to uncomfortable obedience today. And also what are areas in your life that you have been delaying obedience.

And so I hope that you learn something from this message that you can just learn the importance of walking in obedience and ultimately that comes from reading scripture right. So I’m going to end this in a prayer. Dear Lord, I thank you. God I thank you for your word, that we get to walk in obedience and be in a relationship with you Lord. That we get to be doers of the word. And that we, God are called to holiness which means to be set apart.

Lord, what a beautiful opportunity we get to truly shine your light. Lord, tons of people all over the world are asking questions. Have been looking for answers of what’s going on and what an awesome opportunity. Where the only answer we have now, is you Lord, is Jesus. And what a cool thing that we, get to share that with people. And I pray that we are striving to share your name ultimately and to share the gospel and that we are seeking conversations to talk about you Jesus our Lord and Savior.

And God, I just pray for health and safety of our everyone, Lord in the midst of this craziness. God may we remember that our hope is secure in eternity with you. Our hope is not in the things of this world. Lord we love you and we praise you. Amen.