OBEDIENCE AND ORDER

OBEDIENCE AND ORDER

FOCUS VERSE: 1 Corinthians 14: 40 - Let all things be done decently and in order.

DECLARATION:  My obedience and order attract God’s presence; divine order releases divine stability.

Our God is a God of order, not confusion:  This is God’s basic character.  In the 16th, 17th and 18th chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, we read of the ministry of Paul in Corinth and Athens.  Paul was insistent that all ministry be Spirit-ordained resulting in miracles, signs and wonders and not limited to debates or oratory skills.  Hence the church in Corinth was established through the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit.  But later on discord, confusion and disunity crept into the Church.  It is in such a situation that Paul writes to the church in Corinth instructing them to bring about order and discipline in their congregation.  Order reflects God’s nature.  This is very much evident in the Creation process.  God first created light and He separated it from darkness because the two cannot walk together.  The sun, moon, stars, planets, earth and the whole solar system are in perfect balance - all revolve and rotate in their specific paths in an orderly fashion.  

Genesis 1: 4 - And God saw that the light was good.  And God separated the light from the darkness.
Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
James 3: 16 and 17 - For where jealousy and selfish ambitions exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure,  then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Disorder comes from selfish ambition, but heavenly wisdom produces peace.  Confusion drains strength; order creates clarity and protects progress.

Obedience brings alignment to life:  Obedience places our lives under God’s guidance instead of personal impulse.

Deuteronomy 5: 33 - You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you.
John 14: 23 - 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.
Psalm 119: 133 - Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Alignment with God produces stability.  Eg: The coaches of a train are connected to each other and move in alignment on the railway track.  Misalignment would create danger and even catastrophe.

Disorder often reveals neglected discipline:  Cluttered lives are the result of neglected discipline.  Disorder can affect time, finances, relationships and even our spiritual life.  

Proverbs 24: 30 and 31 - I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
Ephesians 5: 15 and 16 - Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  
Colossians 3: 23 - Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not fro men.

Order is often trained up through small and daily discipline.  Organisation increases effectiveness.  

 Godly order creates peace and fruitfulness: Order is not legalism as some might assume.  On the contrary, it creates healthy space for life and growth.  

Titus 1: 5 - This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.  
Psalm 90: 12 - So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Isaiah 32: 17 - And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

Well-organised lives make room for peace, productivity and spiritual focus.  


GOD BLESS YOU ALL!