Daily Devotional For Monday, March 31, 2025
Compromise! When you hear or see this word, what comes to your mind? Is compromise ever good? Or is all compromise wrong? You may find yourself trying to compromise how you would answer these two questions. We live in a culture where it seems morality, right/wrong, good/bad etc., are a matter of subjectivity. When I was growing up, life was pretty much black or white and red or green. We knew where the limits were.
Look at what Jesus said in John 14:31, “I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father” (ESV). Most of us don’t like to be commanded. We’d rather be asked, invited, encouraged, or persuaded. But here is Jesus―water-walking, dead-raising, blind-eye-opening Jesus―describing His life purpose while obediently doing exactly what His Father had commanded Him.
When it comes to obeying God, how open and obedient is your heart? Do you quickly jump to do it or do you resist? Are there certain commandments you willingly obey and others you ignore? For example, God tells you to do this in Luke 6:27-28, “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. (28) Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you” (NLT). Whew! This is a tough one, isn’t it?
Are you willing to accept a commandment from the Lord, exactly, with no invitation to share your opinion and with no concern for your comfort or calendar? Or are you prone to negotiating? When we say, “God, I love You and will serve You, whether I get my way or not,” we will be astounded by the things He will do in us and through us.
Christian author Mark Buchanan tells this story in his book:
“My favorite YouTube video is a five-minute clip from an episode of The Bob Newhart Show. Bob, as you may know, is a psychologist in the show. In the scene, a woman comes for her first visit. Bob begins by explaining how he bills—five dollars for the first five minutes, and then nothing after that. The woman is thrilled. Bob assures her the session won't go over five minutes.
He asks her to start. She explains that she fears being buried alive in a box. He asks her to say more. The fear, she tells him, extends to other things—being in tunnels, elevators, houses, cars, "anything boxy." "So basically you're saying you're claustrophobic?" "Yes, that's what I'm saying."
This exchange takes about two minutes. Bob takes another ten seconds or so to empathize with her—how awful it must be to live with this fear. "It's horrible," the woman says. "All right," Bob says, "I'm going to give you two words that I think will clear up everything. Just take these two words and integrate them into your daily life, and you should be fine."
The woman is excited. She asks if she should write them down. "Oh, you can if you like," Bob says. "But most people have no trouble remembering them." "Okay," she says, leaning forward. "You ready?" he asks. "Yes," she says. "Okay, here are the two words." Bob leans across his desk to put his face close to hers. "Stop it!" (Source: Mark Buchanan, Your Church Is Too Safe, pp. 88-89).
God’s commands of “Stop it” are not to restrict our freedom, but to free it even more. God is our loving heavenly Father who knows all, sees all and only wants the best for our lives. He knows all too well how sin destroys us and our relationship to Him. It comes down to do we believe we can trust God? Trust and belief can be defined as obedience. Every parent knows this but when we grow up, as adults, we tend to forget it. Jesus did everything exactly as the Father told Him to do. The good news is: we can also. When we say yes to God, we become part of His work in the world. His incredible plan for us will unfold!
Questions To Consider
- Which commands from the Lord do you struggle to obey? Why?
- Is compromise ever good? If it is, when and how?
- Which choices of disobedience have taken freedoms from you?
- Right now, why is the Lord saying, “Stop it!” to you? What do you plan to do and why?
- Do you ever compromise with biblical truth? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: John 4:34, Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, I am humbled by Jesus’ example of loving, serving, and obeying You—even in His death on a cross. Help me be like Jesus and obey You, without question or reservation, even when Your plan isn’t clear. I praise You for the mighty things You will do. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly