The finest garment you can wear is
obedience. It begins in your heart and permeates your mind.
May’s
Awakening, Day 19
Every virtue is a form of obedience to
God. Every evil word or act is a form of rebellion against him.
—Stephen Neill
Obedience is the only virtue that
plants the other virtues in the heart and preserves them after they have been
planted.
—Gregory the Great
I
urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and
put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.
Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their
own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive
people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you;
but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Romans
16:17–20a NIV
God places emphasis on obedience
because obedience is protective of both your heart and mind in disallowing evil
to penetrate and taint the virtues within you that He so desires for you to
possess in fullness. Knowing the truth and wearing it in obedience and living
each day in obedience is your mighty shield of armor and defense against the
lies of the enemy and the bombarding lies of the world. Be wise about what is
good. Be innocent about what is evil. Make each thought be obedient to the mind
of Christ. Make each word be obedient to the mind of Christ. Make each action
obedient to the mind of Christ. If you wear the obedience of Christ well, you
won’t have to worry about the enemy, the world, or even yourself.
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