Although I have spoken to you, . . . you did not obey Me. - Jeremiah 35:14

Have you ever met someone who had traits you thought should mark a Christian but then found that the person had never met the Savior? It's not all that unusual. Sometimes people who do not know Jesus keep their own moral standards more consistently than some Christians keep God's standards.

The prophet Jeremiah ran into a group like that - and he passed along to us a valuable lesson from observing them. They were a nomadic people called the Rechabites, and Jeremiah used them as an example of obedience. Although they were not among God's chosen people, God commended them for their obedience.

For example, their forefathers had taught them that they should not drink wine. So when Jeremiah offered it to them, they refused it (Jeremiah 35:5-6). He wanted to show the people of Judah what obedience looked like. God wanted the Jews to be as obedient to Him as the Rechabites were to their leaders.

Even today we see unsaved people follow the morals they've set, while some Christians are not being obedient to their Lord's commands. God hates our disobedience. Let it not be said of us that the "Rechabites" of our day are more obedient than we are.

-JDB

Consistency! How much we need
To walk a measured pace,
To live the life of which we speak,
Until we see Christ's face.

-Anon.

Obedience is faith in action.