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SCRIPTURE READINGS

GENESIS 12:1-9

ROMANS 4:13-25

MATTHEW 9:9-13, 18-26

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is”the reward for being obedient “A reward is a thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement. To be obedient means to be submissive to the restraint or command of authority. There is a reward for being obedient to God. The theme raises two important questions:

1. How to be obedient?

2. What is the nature of the reward promised for being obedient?

Firstly, how are we to demonstrate obedience to God? We must demonstrate obedience through faith and action. We must believe in God and put His Word, instructions or commandment into practice. In other words, faith plus action is equal to obedience. In Genesis 12:1, the instruction or the Word of the Lord to Abram was “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Abram had faith in the Lord and moved with his family, “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.” (Genesis 12:4). Abram encountered the Lord, received an instruction from Him, had faith in His Word and acted upon it. Abram demonstrated obedience to God through faith and action, It is for this reason, Paul wrote that “No unbelief made him (Abraham) waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:20-22) Beloved in the Lord, our obedience to God as believers is the proof of our “righteousness of faith” (Romans 4:13).

Indeed, without obedience through faith and action, we cannot respond to the call of Jesus Christ. Apart from Abraham, Matthew also demonstrated to us that obedience to the call of our Lord Jesus Christ is through faith and action. Mattew was a tax collector, we are told Jesus was passing by when He said to Matthew “Follow me.” (Matthew 9:9). Matthew demonstrate his faith and action when “he rose and followed him. (Matthew 9:9). Certainly, beloved in the Lord, there cannot be obedience to God without faith and action. In other words, obedience is faith in action. How often do you obey God’s Word in your daily affairs? Do you obey the voice of God when you are in a dilemma? Remember Abram had a choice to ignore the instruction of God and stay in the comfort of His father’s house to become an heir to his father’s properties. Similarly, Matthew had a choice to decline Jesus’s call to stay in the tax collection booth because it was lucrative employment. Tax collectors made so much money in their employment. For instance, “Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.” (Luke 19:2). Regardless of whatever wealthy and lucrative environment they found themselves in, Abraham, Matthew and many others obeyed the voice of the Lord by first believing in His Word and then taking a decisive action to follow Him. Dear friend, we can not please God until we have trusted and obeyed Him. Our obedience to God is incomplete until we have demonstrated it through faith and action.

Secondly, the nature of the reward for being obedient is experiencing the glory and promises of God in our lives. When we walk with God and remain obedient to Him through faith and action, He has promised to be with us. He promised Abram that “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:2-3). In other words, the God who has called us knows our needs and will fulfil them through His glory in our lives. When we trust and obey Him, we shall never lack His glory or presence in our lives. It is for this reason, Jesus told His disciples and by extension, anyone who will obey His Word that “…behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). The reward for being obedient to God is that we shall continually experience His glory in our lives and His promises shall be fulfilled in our lives.

In summary, the theme for our reflection is “reward for being obedient” In our reflection, we have come to a realisation that obedience to God is demonstrated through our faith and our action. In other words, faith and action lead to obedience. Again, we have learnt that the glory of God and the fulfilment of His promise in our lives is the reward for being obedient to Him. May the Holy Spirit strengthen us to trust and obey the Lord even as we experience His glory and manifold blessings in our lives. Amen.