WILL IT SUIT?

When a certain portion of the truth is brought before a child of God, the flesh enquires, "How will this affect my position among men? - if I obey this truth, will it entail self-denial and reproach?"
It is to be feared that these considerations often determine a believer to have nothing at all to do with certain clearly-revealed truths of Scripture. The question with them is not, "Does God say I am to do this?" but, "Will it suit me to do this?" When subjection to the Lord becomes a matter of mere personal convenience with us, we may rest assured that we are entrenching ourselves in our own self-will, and know little of subjection to the Lord Christ. If our supreme object is to please Him, we shall be ready to say, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." And, like the Psalmist, we shall be found declaring, "I made haste, and delayed not, to keep Thy commandments."

Page 447, THE BELIEVERS TREASURY, Feb., 1896.

If we are to be brutally honest with ourselves, how often has this been the case with us? No wonder separation from the world is a biblical warrant! As a fledgling believer I would often take the wrong course, could it be otherwise? As we grow in in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 3.18, then surely, growing in this grace and knowledge, will, if we have the Spirit of Christ, Rom 8.9, enable us to speak as the Psalmist did in the above extract? Let us remember (as marvelous as it is!) that the Lord Jesus also increased in wisdom and stature, Lk. 2.52. How can it be that God can increase in wisdom and stature? The omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, thrice Holy One can increase in wisdom and stature! How baffling is this? Yet this is His human nature, He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich, 2 Cor.8.9. Truly, His condescension to become one of us is brought home by the apostle in Heb.7.26; For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens. The Lord Jesus was not only the Offering, but the Priest who offered It! He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him. Heb.5.9 (My emphasis).

Obedience! How antinomians must hate that word! yet, I too was one as a 'young' believer, but, time and again the Lord's words, Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Lk. 6.46, would trouble me greatly. Those who would attack what is known as Lordship Salvation err greatly, they accuse believers that adhere to it of works salvation! The truth is that we teach the way to life is the cross, and the way of  life are the Commandments, it is that simple!
It is said that the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, Jn. 1.17, but! Who gave the law to Moses? Of course, it was Jesus Christ! for it is said of Him that He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever, Heb. 13.8, who but the pre-incarnate Christ spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3? Before Abraham was, I am, Jn. 8.58.
It surely is a very great sin for a believer to have a low view of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20.1-17), which are the same as the Two Commandments (the Ten paraphrased into two) in Matt. 22. 36-40. The Saviour said think not that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets. Matt. 5.17, yet some think otherwise! The oft repeated mantra is "We are not under the law, but under grace"!
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Sam. 15.22! Obedience, surely is the key! Before the first giving of the law Israel said, All that the LORD hath spoken we WILL do, Ex.19.7, and after the second giving in Dt. 5.27, Israel said, we WILL hear and DO it. (my emphasis's). What did God say in response? O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, Dt. 5.29. We know that Israel didn't do, they apostatized! hence their long and sorry history, is it any different today? You could say that Israel 'hung a noose' round their necks by promising to keep the law, perhaps they would have been better off saying "we won't do it" then changed their minds to "do it". The Lord said, A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of the twain did the will of his father? Matt. 21.28-31.
Oh if only Adam had obeyed in the garden! But, then, what of redemption?

An old time writer well said "If you can't see Jesus Christ on every page in the Bible, you won't see Him on one page."