One Small Seed Newsletter – Edition #277, May 2024
Greetings,
Psalms 119:1 “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord”. Jesus said in John 14:6 that he was the “Way” and that no man could come to the father except through him. The writer of Psalms 119 was aware of the laws of God and while writing he was under the anointing of truth to write what he wrote. Even Jesus, as the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 5:7-9, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared (respected); though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things he suffered (experienced); and being made perfect (mature), he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him”. Jesus even admitted that of himself he could do nothing, meaning he was the mouthpiece of God while he was in the natural world and since he and God were one, that both used the same Holy Spirit to communicate through. This is the same Holy Spirit that God sent at Pentecost to all that accepted God’s Salvation and the same Holy Spirit that can penetrate the minds of mankind.
“Though he were a Son, he learned obedience by the things that he suffered”. Even though Jesus learned, doesn’t mean he was void of understanding, but his suffering was because he came into an unknowledgeable society. He actually was the smartest (wisest) man who ever lived. He even said that he and his father were one and we know that God is omniscient (all knowing). Jesus came into the world in the form of flesh so he could die like a man, but he also came to man to illustrate the truth and one of those truths was that man could follow his footsteps and be like him. He learned obedience the same as any son should learn obedience to his father if the father is educated in the right things.
Obedience to God’s will is better than any or all sacrifices and offerings (customs and rituals). Jeremiah 7:21-23 illustrates this, as it came directly from God. “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day, I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices; But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you”.
The example that Jesus set was passed down through his disciples unto those they preached to, and then through every generation up to this day. Even though it was more of a moral code than the teaching of truth, the Holy Spirit was still present. The sad thing is that as the word says: there is always a remnant. The reason it is sad, is because the number should be in the millions instead of the thousands. How do I know? Because the world could be more stable if there were more Holy people and more Godly governments.
Notice what Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love (pretense and falsehood) of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently”.
What is the condition of those that obey the commands of the Lord? 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart. 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure. Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.
What does the word say about those who obey not? Jeremiah 12:17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation saith the Lord. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day: and a curse, if ye will not obey the commands of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after the gods, which ye have not known.
We are admonished in Acts 5:29 to “obey God and not man“. That is, put the truth above opinions of men. Put the commands of God in the area of priority and beware the dictator of those who impose on your liberty in Christ with religious codes and creeds, rituals and traditions, common assumptions and unrealistic tithing. Jesus came to make us free from all that. He said, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth will make you free”. The key to that freedom is knowing the truth through God’s word.
Rejoice in the Lord our God: fear the Lord our God: respect the Lord our God and witness for the Lord our God, with all our heart. Despise the motivation of bashfulness and carelessness, the weakness of phlegmatism, the subtle effects of false humility, the tendency toward hiding behind the façade of self worthlessness. God will give you strength and courage. Love the compelling force of compassion, the confidence building power of the Holy Spirit, the very important gift of a position in the Body of Christ, the fruit bearing energy of God’s word and God’s spirit, the healing power of positive mindedness, the joyfulness of reconciliation, the gladness of immortality and eternal life and the importance of Faith and Grace in your life.
God Bless. Amen.
Your friend in Christ,
Rodney Roberts