Day 142 - May 21 Anthropology: Our Origin and the Responsibility of Obedience

# James 1:22

If yesterday was the positive result of the reality that God is our Creator and Sustainer, today's text constitutes the warning for those who attempt to live outside of the knowledge of God authority and reign as our Creator. Worship is the wonderful joy that all of us get to participate in as we glorify God in all areas of life and obedience is the fruit of a life that sees God as glorious and exalted. The sim ple truth is that God's standing as our Creator and, therefore, the Lord of all things brings with it certain responsibilities for us as His creation. You see, we are obligated to obey God only if He is truly the authority over us. His authority is displayed in His power and design in Creation which means that you and I are obligated to submit to the One who Created, Sustains, and has rights over all that He made, including every man! Since God is the authority in all of creation and because He is our Creator, we are rightly compelled to a lifestyle of obedience. James 1 provides a warning that those who merely hear the Word of God (which is the way He expresses His will to us) and do not obey it are deceived. Their disobedience, even in light of clear biblical commands, actually testify to the reality that these men and women do not understand the dynamics of their relationship to our Great God. The sin in our lives always leads to a desire to be our own god, this is why we create false gods in our image and it is even the reason behind Adam and Eve's temptation in the garden. However, sin distorts the true dynamic of our relationship with God. In other portions of Scripture, the metaphor is used of the potter and the clay. In this case, we are considered the clay which is totally at the mercy of the potter. The potter is not obligated to the clay but the clay must conform to the potter. The fundamental reality is that we are unable and unqualified to give any instructions to God but God is totally justified in His expectation that we heed His counsel and directives. Putting This Together Our obedience is the ultimate sign of faith. Those who are faithful to obey the Lord are the ones who testify by their actions that they have come to understand and know the God of the universe. This is one of the reasons why James draws the straight line between obedience and faith. Those who claim to have faith and lack obedience do not believe in the One True God. Now, I don't want you to miss this as it is crucial to our understanding of how to put these last two devotions together, our joy and obedience are inextricably tied together. Some folks like to think that we can either be happy or obedient but this is to miss the biblical truth entirely. You will never find lasting joy apart from God's will and plan for your life, conversely you will find great joy even in submission to the Lord because His plan is for His glory but also our good. When you and I walk in obedience to our great God we find our purpose in life as we bring Him glory and we come to know Him intimately, experiencing all of the blessings in life that sin can never deliver. So, glorify God in all you do! Enjoy God's good creation and remember that as you are obedient to a good Father who exists for His glory and your good.