April 3 – Flexible Obedience (Numbers 9:15-23)

“At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out.” (Numbers 9:23)

IN WORD:
We serve an unpredictable God. He is not unreasonable, and He is not inconsistent, but He is unpredictable. No human has ever fathomed His ways. As much as we try to make the spiritual life of discipleship a formula — and check out the shelves of your local Christian bookstore if you don’t believe we have done that — God will change directions on us. Why is that? Does He enjoy being elusive? Does He like to taunt us by always staying out of our reach?
No, God does not tease. But anyone who follows Him must quickly learn: He is not a formula. He does not repeat the same methods over & over again. He does not let us get into a habit of obedience-by-memory that does not engage the spirit. There is a great mercy in that. He is a God of relationship, and He only allows us to relate to Him. We cannot memorize Him, we cannot learn His principles apart from His person, and we cannot substitute His Law in place of His Spirit. He desires to be known, and while His past deeds help us know who He is, His present direction can only be found in a vital relationship with His person.

IN DEED:
God is looking for those who have the flexibility to pick up and go when He says to pick up and go, and to sit down and stay when He says to sit down and stay. Sometimes He will have us camp for several days, sometimes only for several minutes. Sometimes He will lead us for miles, sometimes for a few feet. The disciple who says, “The God who led me five miles yesterday will lead me five miles every day,” does not know the God he serves. He’s into religion, not faith. There’s a huge difference.
In your discipleship, are you depending on principles, or are you looking for God? You must be available to do what He commands today, not what He commanded you last time. Know the difference. Know your God.

“The evidence of knowing God is obeying God.”
-Eric Alexander-