"....He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:8)
Jesus was not a convenient "obeyer." His obedience to the Father and the will of the Godhead was completed at His Cross, an obedience "to the point of death." I some times wonder about my obedience. Of what character is it? Is is a "convenient" obedience, an obedience which satisfies the religious in me, or just enough to keep others from thinking anything other than I am a real Believer in Jesus Christ? Any obedience which is not an obedience "to the point of death" is not obedience. There is no compromise obedience in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Each day you and I choose between a convenient obedience and a "to-the-point-of-death" obedience. One is a self deception. The other a "fulfilled obedience," the true obedience of which the Blessed Trinity speaks throughout Scripture. I want to include here a commentary of Adam Clarke on the 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 passage which is so familiar to us all. The passage ends with the statement, "and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
"All the terms in these two verses are military. Allusion is made to a strongly fortified city, where the enemy had made his last stand; entrenching himself about the walls; strengthening all his redoubts and ramparts; raising castles, towers, and various engines of defense and offence upon the walls; and neglecting nothing that might tend to render his strong hold impregnable. The army of God comes against the place and attacks it; the stronghold, all the fortified places, are carried, the imaginations, engines, and whatever the imagination or skill of man could raise, are speedily taken and destroyed. Every high thing, all the castles and towers are sapped, thrown down and demolished; the walls are battered into breaches; and the besieging army, carrying everything at the point of the sword, enter the city, storm and take the citadel. Everywhere defeated, the conquered submit and are brought into captivity, are led away captives; and thus the whole government is destroyed."
Make no mistake about it. The enemy in this passage is not your neighbor, the political left, or Satan and His demonic hordes. The enemy is our disobedience. Now reread, if you must, the commentary, and see if you are allowing the Word of God to enable you to wage such a warfare against any disobedience in your life. When we do, our obedience will be the obedience "to the point of death," the only obedience which the Father accepts.
Father, in Jesus' Name, don't ever let me be deceived with any obedience which is not "to the point of death." Amen.
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