by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."

Genesis 12:1-4

Too many Christians never obey God because they're busy making their own plans.

Dave Boswell tells the story of Orioles baseball manager Earl Weaver and how he handled superstar Reggie Jackson:

Weaver had a rule that no one could steal a base unless given the steal sign. This upset Jackson because he felt he knew the pitchers and catchers well enough to judge who he could and could not steal off of. So one game he decided to steal without a sign. He got a good jump off the pitcher and easily beat the throw to second base. As he shook the dirt off his uniform, Jackson smiled with delight, feeling he had vindicated his judgment to his manager.

Later Weaver took Jackson aside and explained why he hadn't given the steal sign. First, the next batter was Lee May, his best power hitter other than Jackson. When Jackson stole second, first base was left open, so the other team walked May intentionally, taking the bat out of his hands.

Second, the following batter hadn't been strong against that pitcher, so Weaver felt he had to send up a pinch hitter to try to drive in the men on base. That left Weaver without bench strength later in the game when he needed it. The problem was, Jackson saw only his relationship to the pitcher and catcher. Weaver was watching the whole game.

Like Jackson, we can sometimes see a situation and think we know best what to do. Yet what we don't realize is we see only a fraction of what's happening. God alone sees all that's at play.

Think of Abraham. He was a 70-year old husband living in a comfortable land with his extended family. Needless to say, he had planted roots in Ur, and probably planned on staying there until his death. Yet God told him to leave Ur and move his family away from their home. He didn't give Abraham a destination, a timeframe, or even a direct route. He simply told him to go.

Many Christians would react differently than Abraham. They'd question God, figure out their own route, demand answers, and think they knew best. Yet Abraham faithfully obeyed God despite not knowing all the details.

When God gives us a direction or commands us to do something specific, our best response is to obey. Despite what we think we know or how we reason the situation in our mind, God knows what's best for us. Like Earl Weaver, He sees things beyond what we can see, and understands our situation far better than we can.

When God gives you a command, do you obey? Don't try to figure out the logistics of God's command or the outside factors involved. Too many Christians never obey God because they're busy making their own plans. Trust that God knows more about the situation than you do, and faithfully obey His commands.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 107-109 | 1 Corinthians 4