Bible Society of South Africa
Merero ya ho bala
Make a difference
Make a difference – Day 8
Louise Gevers

Make a difference – Day 8

Obedience Makes a Difference to Life

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

1 PETROSE 1

14Le le bana ba mamelang, le se ke la latela ditakatso tsa lona tsa kgale, ha le ne le sa hloka tsebo.

1 PETROSE 1:14SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

DIPOLELO 28

Mahlohonolo a ho ikokobetsa

1“Haeba o mamela lentswe la Morena Modimo wa hao ka hloko, o hlokomela ho phetha melao yohle ya hae, eo ke o laelang yona kajeno, Morena Modimo wa hao o tla o phahamisa ho feta ditjhaba tsohle tsa lefatshe. 2Mahlohonolo ana wohle e tla ba a hao, a o aparele, hobane o tla be o mamela lentswe la Morena Modimo wa hao:

3“O tla hlohonolofatswa motseng,

o hlohonolofatswe le masimong.

4“Bana ba hao ba tla hlohonolofatswa,

le ditholwana tsa naha ya heno,

le tswala ya diphoofolo tsa hao,

le manamane a dikgomo tsa hao,

le tswala ya mehlape ya hao.

5“Seroto sa hao

se tla hlohonolofatswa,

le sejana sa hao

sa ho dubela hlama.

6“O tla hlohonolofatswa ha o kena,

o hlohonolofatswe ha o etswa.

Tlholo le katleho

7“Morena o tla etsa hore dira tsa hao, tse o tsohetseng matla, di hlolwe o ntse o di bona. Ha di o futuhela di tla tla di tsamaya ka tsela e le nngwe, empa ha di o baleha di tla phasaphasa ka tsela tse ngata.

8“Morena o tla hlohonolofatsa disiu tsa hao, le tsohle tseo o di etsang; a o hlohonolofatse naheng eo Morena Modimo wa hao a o neang yona.

9“Morena o tla o etsa setjhaba se halalelang sa hae, jwalokaha a o hlapanyeditse, haeba o boloka melao ya Morena Modimo wa hao, mme o tsamaya ditseleng tsa hae. 10Ditjhaba tsohle tsa lefatshe di tla elellwa hore o bitswa ka lebitso la Morena, mme di tla o tshaba. 11Morena o tla o atlehisa haholo ka ho atisa bana ba hao, le manamane a dikgomo tsa hao, le ditholwana tsa masimo a hao, naheng eo Morena a e hlapanyeditseng bo-ntatao hore o tla o nea yona.

12“Morena o tla o bulela letlole la hae e leng lehodimo, a nesetse naha ya hao pula ka nako ya yona, a hlohonolofatse le mesebetsi yohle eo o e etsang. O tla adimana ka tsa hao ho ditjhaba tse ngata, empa wena o ke ke wa adima letho ho tsona. 13Morena o tla o etsa hlooho, e seng mohatla. O tla ba kahodimo, o ke ke wa ba katlase, haeba o mamela melao ya Morena Modimo wa hao, eo ke o laelang yona kajeno, hore o e hlokomele, mme le e phethe. 14O se ke wa kgeloha lentswe leha le le leng la mantswe ao ke o laelang wona kajeno. O se ke wa kgelohela ka ho le letona kapa ka ho le letshehadi, wa latela medimo e meng, wa e sebeletsa.”

DIPOLELO 28:1-14SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

JOHANNE 14

Jesu o ba tshepisa Moya o Halalelang

15“Haeba le a nthata, le tla boloka ditaelo tsa ka.

JOHANNE 14:15SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

JOHANNE 14

21Ya nang le ditaelo tsa ka, mme a di boloka, ke yena ya nthatang; ya nthatang o tla ratwa ke Ntate, le nna ke tla mo rata, mme ke tla iponahatsa ho yena.”

JOHANNE 14:21SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

Pesalema 66

18Hoja ke ne ke dumella bobe

pelong ya ka,

Morena a ka be a sa nkutlwa,

Pesalema 66:18SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” 1 Peter 1:14

Obedience is beautiful. Whether it’s seen in the response of a dog to its master, a child to his parents, an adult to his superior, or the wind and waves of Lake Galilee to Jesus, it evokes a positive response, because obedience brings with it serenity and harmony. Disobedience brings friction and robs us of our peace.

Obedience is powerful. It can revolutionise a person’s life and bring understanding, maturity and fulfilment. This is because obedience is undergirded by God and is what he requires of his children for their own well-being. It comes with great reward. Parents often reward obedient children and pet owners reward their pets, but it’s God’s rewards that hold great power. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, God promises many rich blessings to those who obey him, including the promise to make them “the head, not the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:13). However, the greatest blessing is to know that God cares about us and wants to be in relationship with us.

Nevertheless, obedience is seldom a popular concept. It is often seen as a burden that will take away our rights and spoil our fun, but in reality, ignoring God’s commands actually brings us misery and strife, and robs us of our peace and self-esteem. Adam and Eve were deluded by the devil in the Garden of Eden; they hid from God and so do we. This hinders our growth in grace. Peter speaks to those chosen “for obedience to Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:2).

Jesus tells us quite clearly in John 14:15,21: “If you love me, you will obey what I command. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Obedience brings us closer to Jesus’ heart, but disobedience blocks the way and also hampers our praying. The psalmist says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened …” (Psalm 66:18)

What is your experience? Do you feel that God hears your prayers? Do you respond positively when you hear God’s “still, small voice” or sense him urging you to do something? Do you rush to obey or quickly busy your mind with something else, or roll over and go back to sleep? Do you try to put Scripture into action? Do you try to break with things you know are wrong? Obedience to God is beautiful, powerful and honours him.

The wind and the waves obeyed Jesus, shouldn’t we?

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
RE FUMANE HO