Appreciation

Isaiah 1:¹⁹ “If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.”

The punch of obedience is not only an offensive punch, it is also a defensive punch. It is like a jab; the jab is a defensive punch, it puts the opponent at arm’s length. Isa.54:¹⁷ “But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken!” [with emphasis]. What is the duty of the servant to the masters? Obedience! The day the servant refuses to obey, he or she most likely has another job or has to look for one.

Imagine a driver and his employer; the employer says the direction is ‘X’ but the driver insists on going to ‘Y’ and actually takes the employer to location ‘Y’. Then says, I have been obedient these many years, you cannot be upset with me for this singular offense. I just needed to express myself. If the employer is wise, he will keep quiet and not argue, just collect the keys at the end of the day and bid the driver farewell end of story. We do not have a problem relating with the natural things, so how come we pretend we do not understand spiritual things? Jesus said to them, “you know when the wind is coming, you say the rain is coming. How come when I am telling you that except a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, how come you do not get that?” Obedience is also a protective punch.

The second punch Jesus shows us in Luke 17:11-19 [please read], that we can deploy to knock the enemy out is the punch of Gratitude. Luke 17:¹⁵ “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” ¹⁶ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan” [with emphasis]. God is showing us here that, gratitude brings you closer to Jesus. The greater your gratitude, the closer you get to God. The more you express gratitude to God, the closer you get to God. Some people’s prayer list is actually a complaining list. So they spend hours complaining and instead of praying to God. But when you switch to gratitude, intimacy with God happens effortlessly.

Luke 17:¹⁹ “Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” [KJV]. Jesus pronounced a blessing of wholeness on this man. Why? Gratitude! Gratitude positions you for the blessing on wholeness.

Prayer [song]: You Lord, You are worthy; and no one can worship You for me. For all the things You’ve done for me; and no one can worship You for me. Here’s my worship… Amen!