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“"Simply a Matter of Obedience"”

Thoughts for Today:

When I was in a senior in High School, my family took their summer vacation in late August. Because football practice started about the same time, I was not able to go along. I wasn't all that unhappy about it -- in fact, I looked forward to having the whole house to myself. I had a great time while they were gone, but I also knew their trust was conditioned upon my good behavior. And that could be blown very easily. So I was careful to follow (most of) the rules.

They were scheduled to return on a Saturday. I planned to mow the lawn and give the house a great cleaning on Friday afternoon to make sure everything was just right. You can imagine my alarm when I heard their car pull onto the driveway on Friday morning -- one day early. I think the "surprise" was part of the "dependability test." In other words: Was the house going to be in some semblance of order, regardless of when I expected them to arrive? Fortunately, my parents weren't too disappointed. Especially after I mowed and cleaned as intended -- I just needed a little more time.

Our passage today is a variation of this same theme. Paul wanted to give the Corinthians a little more time to get their house in order. He didn't want to return early before they had adequate time to correct the issues he had previously addressed. Why? Because he wanted his return to be a cause of celebration and rejoicing, not distress and tears. They understood both the guidelines and expectations. It was simply a matter of obedience.

Questions to Ponder:

In each of our lives, the Holy Spirit is doing His work to bring to our attention the areas we need to correct. We are also aware of what the Bible says about living in Christ. Have you been taking too much time to address these issues? In what areas do you need to improve? We all know what to do (or stop doing) -- the question is: Will we obey?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.