OBEDIENCE !

Obeying God is in our best interest. It's in the Bible, Deuteronomy 30:15-16, TLB. "Look, today I have set before you, life and death, depending on whether you obey or disobey. I have commanded you today to love the Lord your God and to follow His paths and to keep His laws, so that you will live and become a great nation, and so that the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to possess." Dueteronomy 10:12, 13, NIV says, "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"

What do law, grace, and obedience have to do with each other? It's in the Bible, Romans 5:20, TLB. "The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God's laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God's abounding grace forgiving us."

Obedience can keep us from disease. It's in the Bible, Exodus 15:26, TLB. "If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you."

Obedience is the key to a successful life. It's in the Bible, Joshua 1:8, TLB. "Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them; for only then will you succeed" We will be evaluated in terms of our obedience to God's commandments. It's in the Bible, Matthew 5:19, TLB. "And so if anyone breaks the least commandment, and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who teach God's laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven."

Obedience is a result of loving God. It's in the Bible, John 14:15 and 23, TLB. "If you love me, obey me; …Because I will only reveal myself to those who love me and obey Me. The Father will love them too, and we will come to them and live with them." The Holy Spirit will only be given to those who obey the Lord. It's in the Bible, Acts 5:32, NIV. "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

Jesus obeyed His Father, as an example of how we should obey Him. It's in the Bible, Hebrews 5:8-9, TLB. "And even though Jesus was God's Son, He had to learn from experience what it was like to obey, when obeying meant suffering. It was after He had proved himself perfect in this experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him."

God advises us to obey the laws of the land. It's in the Bible, Romans 13:1-2, TLB. "Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow."

Sometimes obedience to God and His law may require disobedience of earthly powers. It's in the Bible, Acts 5:29, NIV. "We must obey God rather than men!" Children are to obey and honor their parents. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 6:1-3, TLB. "Children obey your parents; this is the right thing to do because God has placed them in authority over you. Honor your father and mother. This is the first of God's Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: that if you honor your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing."

COMFORT !

Will God comfort me? God has promised to comfort us. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 66:13, NKJV. "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you...”

Infinite, all-powerful, all-loving God is the one who comforts us. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 51:12, NKJV.  "I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass?"

We can trust God's guidance and protection to comfort to us in our darkest moments. It's in the Bible, Psalm 23:4, NKJV. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me"

Where can I find comfort? God's promises in His Word gives us comfort. It's in the Bible, Psalm 119:49-50, NKJV. "Remember the word to your servant, upon which you have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for your word has given me life."

The Scriptures give examples to teach us and give us hope and comfort in God. It's in the Bible,Romans 15:4, NKJV. "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."

God is merciful, and will comfort us in even when we make mistakes. It's in the Bible, Psalm 94:18-19, NKJV.  "If I say, 'My foot slips,' Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul"

God's grace is an everlasting source of comfort. It's in the Bible, 2 Thessalonians, 2:16-17, NKJV. "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work"

God will never forget or forsake us. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 49:14-16, NKJV. "But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.' Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.."

Jesus's mission was to give us hope and comfort to our fallen human race. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 61:1-2, NKJV.  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn"

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would be sent to be our Comforter. It's in the Bible, John 14:16, 26, KJV. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;"  "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you"

How can I comfort someone? Friends can provide comfort with their sympathy and presence, even if nothing is being said. It's in the Bible, Job 2:11-13, NKJV. "Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great."

In facing loss, we can find comfort that we can see our loved ones again at Christ coming. It's in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, NKJV. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words"

In our troubles, God comforts us that we may give comfort to others who experience trials. It's in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NKJV. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Comfort others, and in turn it you encourage each other. It's in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, KJV. "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do"

FORSAKEN !

God will never forsake us. It’s in the Bible, Deuteronomy 31:6, NKJV. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Even if our loved ones forsake us, God never does. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 27:10, NKJV. “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.”

Sometimes we may feel that God has forsaken us, but even then He does not forget us. It’s in the Bible, Isaiah 49:14-16, NKJV. “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me, and my LORD has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.’ ”

Although God will never forsake us, He respects our free will if we choose to leave Him. It’s in the Bible, 2 Chronicles 24:18-20, NKJV. “Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, ‘Thus says God: “Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.” ’ ”

Forsaking God will leave us empty and incomplete, for He is the source of all life, happiness, and fulfillment. It’s in the Bible, Jeremiah 2:13, NKJV. “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Forsaking God and His judgments brings trouble to ourselves and those around us. It’s in the Bible, 1 Kings 18:18, NKJV. “He [Elijah] answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.’ ”

God will punish those who forsake His laws of justice. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 89:30-33, NKJV. “If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, if they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail.”

When we make mistakes, it doesn’t mean God has forsaken us. It’s in the Bible, Nehemiah 9:17, NKJV. “They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.”

Meeting opposition and difficult trials does not mean God has forsaken you. It’s in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, NKJV. “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”

In our trials, when we feel that God has forsaken us, God is closer than you feel. It's in the Bible, Jeremiah 23:23, “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off?"

God has promised to be with you; what is there to fear? It’s in the Bible, Hebrews 13:5, 6, NKJV. “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ”