OBADIAH 11:15
The day of the Lord is near for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
Your deeds will return upon your own head.
Accountability in the Christian walk is something that needs to be considered daily. It is not to bring paranoia into our lives. If that is how we feel, perhaps we are not in alignment with Christ, for if we were, we would joyfully, automatically want to "do unto others as we would have them do unto us" (Matthew 7:12).
My pastor said this past week that when he first became a Christian, he believed in Jesus simply out of fear for going to hell. But he soon realized that walking with Christ was not just about avoiding damnation, but was about living in salvation. The verse above may sound like a sort of karmic "what goes around, comes around" statement. But "karma" is not a law at work here. It's actually the opposite - it's free will. Which will do we follow - ours, or the Spirit?
Jesus faced death on the cross and asked God if there was any way to avoid it, but surrendered to The Plan by saying "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). The verse that follows says that after this statement, angels came to Him and strengthened Him! We don't feel forced to be obedient out of fear for the ramifications of being "bad", but we naturally gravitate toward it because the Spirit is steering us.
In this Obadiah verse for today, I believe a request is being made for us to share the gospel with the nations, for the Day of the Lord is near, and it is near for ALL:
Romans 1:14 "I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome."
We have a responsibility to do our best every day to bear witness to the Living God, for any day now, we will see Him face to face. And every day, in this state of difficult, demoralizing world affairs, people NEED to experience Hope.
Jesus said to every believer in Mark 16:15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." And what if we do not? Paul says, "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel (I Corinthians 9:16)."
Our works reveal themselves:
"...each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (I Corinthians 3:13-15).
And because of this "free will un-law" we are under, those who hear us may choose not to accept it, which we are NOT responsible for: "Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul (Ezekiel 3:19)."
This may be a very difficult task to undertake, and a hard truth - if we feel shy, unequipped, or overwhelmed. But embrace the celebratory words of Paul, whose whole life he dedicated to sharing the Good News with others, under extreme difficulty and persecution: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16). It is not us, it is the Power of God that will equip us for this task, that will shine through - despite, for example, the judgmental persecutor Paul used to be - if we take that step of confidence toward truly loving our neighbors both near and far.
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