I was thinking about obedience to the Lord and what that looks like in my life. Then I started thinking about how many people, who were inspired by the Lord to help me in some capacity, have impacted me.
As I have said in previous posts, I always believed in God, but was not aware of the personal relationship that I could have with Him, until I was 40 years old. I was in a dark time of my life and felt helpless and alone. It was then that my heart was prepared to receive God's love toward me. It started in small increments, a sentence at a time, because that is all I could grasp. Each show of love and hope came from a person whom God had inspired to help me. By their willingness (obedience) to say a kind word, do a kind deed, or give me a scripture reference for encouragement, little by little, I was drawn closer to the Lord. As a result of their efforts and the work of the Holy Spirit in me, I have lived my life for the Lord for the last 32 years.
Here are a few examples of their obedience: One lady, whom I met when I first moved to Sarasota, was always kind to me and always inquired about my children. Nine years after we met, I discovered that she was a pastor's wife and a mighty prayer warrior. I asked her if she had been praying for me. She said, "From the first day I met you." She never told me. She just acted kind towards me. The power of prayer is amazing. "The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16
Another was a neighbor I had met when I first moved to Sarasota. After a year, she moved away. Two years later, I started a retail business and was in desperate need of someone to work for me. I thought of her and as I was looking for her number to call her, she called me to ask if I needed any help. Amazing! She worked for me for two months and her mission was to tell me that "there is no power greater than God's and if my heart is right, I would be alright. God would take care of me."
An extreme example is my friend Dorothy, whom I wrote about in an earlier post. She was my mentor and taught me about the necessity to forgive, having absolute faith in God, and God's love. She came to speak with me every day for three years. Wow! Was I blessed! For whatever reason, God put it on Dorothy's heart to want to help me, she was obedient to do so, and I embraced the help. Even after three years, when she was dying, she said that she wished she could stay to help me more.
There are many more examples. Too many to mention. For example, early in my learning about the Lord, I was in group counseling. After a time, I wanted to have a party to thank everyone who made me feel as if I could call them in the middle of the night if I needed to. I didn't call, but they let me know that I could. I made the party list. When I was finished, I wept. The list had 75 names on it. I wept at the thought that God had touched the hearts of all those people and that they were all willing to answer the call, if needed.
So many people have helped me and during my life, I believe that I, in turn, have been able to impact others to show them the love of God.
As I pondered all the people that helped me and all the people that I have influenced, I realized that through the obedience to follow the leading of the Lord to show His love to others, we can change the world - one person at a time. Each of us has a sphere of influence: the people that God puts in our lives, whether for a moment or a lifetime. Like throwing a pebble in a lake and watching the ripples in the water as the pebble hits, each of us, being obedient to love like God loves us, can have a ripple effect on all those with whom we interact.
Think about all the people who have had a positive influence on your life and all those you have helped. I believe that you will be amazed at how many people are on your lists.
There are several scriptures that talk about obedience to the Lord. One internet search said that there were 100 Scriptures relating to obedience. Here are a few examples. John 13:35: Jesus is speaking and He says, "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples. If you love one another." In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel the prophet is speaking and asks, "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?" And then he says, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." In John 14:15, Jesus says, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." 1 John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." In John 14:23, Jesus says, "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." John 14:21, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
Let's commit to be more willing to be willing to be obedient to the leading of the Lord as we meet with all the people the Lord brings into our lives. We may not always see the fruit of our efforts, but be assured that through our love for one another, God is planting a seed that will come into fruition in each person's life. God bless you in your journey.
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