the vssls story, in carousels

In the weeks before our first worship night on 26 January 2026, we shared eight carousels: Joel’s story and Luke’s story of how vssls began, Luke on surrender, and five facets of obedience. Each one is part of the same yes, the thread that runs through the whole vssls story.

Tap a cover, then swipe through.

read the vssls story →

Joel’s story: can I tell you about something God’s been doing

posted · 2 Kings 4

How the vssls story began, in Joel’s words.

Close-up of clay-covered hands shaping a pot on a spinning potter’s wheel. Text: can i tell you about something God’s been doing that honestly still feels pretty surreal to me?
A black-and-white photo of a boy and a young man smiling at the camera in a crowd, both giving a thumbs-up. Text: i met Luke back in 2018 when I said yes to planting something new you ever said yes to something without fully knowing where it’ll lead? that was me.
A selfie of two young men at a hilltop lookout at sunset, one in sunglasses and a backwards cap, with orange clouds over the trees behind them. Text: since then, I’ve had a front-row seat watching him grow in his love for God, for His Word, for the church where He’s planted, for His big-C Church, and for the people he leads. and watching someone give their yes even when it means uncertainty or comes with a high cost… That changes you too.
A dim auditorium lit in blue, with a man speaking on stage in front of a screen reading “The Spirit’s Flame” and rows of young people seated in the audience, two of them marked by hand-drawn arrows. Text: 2 years ago at a conference, someone felt to pray and prophesy over both of us together. Rivers of living water. Anointing. Partnership. Worship. Restoration. Destruction to the enemy’s camp. Some of it resonated. Some of it felt… incomplete? strange? that’s us
An open notebook filled with handwritten notes and Scripture references. Text: we didn’t despise it. but we didn’t rush into anything either. tbh, it kind of went on the shelf. We didn’t even remember it until a few days ago. Ever had God speak something that only makes sense years later?
Two young men sitting in a parked car, smiling at the camera. Text: life just kept going. we stayed worshippers. served our church. grew in our relationship with God. but somewhere along the way, without even planning it, we started talking about writing songs for God. no strategy no formula we honestly hadn’t written many songs at all. but honestly? most “sessions” weren’t really sessions at all… sometimes we’d just worship. sometimes we’d drive and talk. sometimes some words would come that didn’t make complete sense, but felt like the hand of God was on that
A blurred, overhead view of people gathered around an open Bible. Text: then we’d dig into Scripture not to finish a song, but to ask God what He’s actually saying. and that’s when things started changing in our personal lives
A young man in a dark hoodie playing a keyboard in a dimly lit room. Text: some became songs. some never got a melody. but man, did they help us to see God in the simple things… in the everyday moments. they brought us to this conviction: that we should be quick to respond when we hear Him speak.
Cupped hands holding a mound of soil against blurred green foliage in warm sunlight. Text: that our whole life is worship. Nothing in our lives should be out of reach for Him. When He asks, would we give? Would we lay down? Would we offer without holding back—even if it’s misunderstood, even if it comes with a high cost?
Pieces of a broken clay pot lying on a dusty windowsill beside a small potted plant. Text: because here’s the truth we keep coming back to: our lives are fragile vessels here one moment, gone the next. but if we give them to Him? If we surrender to His will?
Looking up a winding wooden staircase toward bright windows, with light streaming in. Text: He can fill any vessel with His mercy, His glory, and use it for His honorable purpose. have you ever stopped to think about what He could do with a life fully surrendered?
Two young men seated at a table covered with open books and papers and a vase of protea flowers, one resting his head in his hand. Text: just before Christmas, we felt a nudge to look at what we have in our hands we realized we had more than we were aware of. Then came the question that kept us up at night:
Railway tracks stretching away into fog between bare trees. Text: Do we steward this faithfully, or do we choose to bury it? What breakthrough could we be denying others? How many lives aching to find Jesus simply stay where they are… if we hide what He puts inside of us?
A group of plain clay vases and jars of different shapes in soft warm light. Text: then we were led to 2 Kings 4. The widow in debt with “nothing but a jar of oil.” She was told: “Gather empty vessels – and not just a few.” the oil kept pouring until there were no more vessels to fill.
A crowd of people with hands raised in front of a stage in a warm-lit hall. Text: we don’t know all that this means yet. but we do know it’s not about a few of us recording some songs in a studio. There was an urgency we couldn’t ignore.
Rows of people holding out open, upturned hands in a dimly lit room. Text: a conviction that it’s not about polished production, but raw, honest, expectant worship. a question: would we make room for vessels to be filled? because the oil never stopped until there were no more vessels. What if God’s waiting on us to make room?
A selfie of two young men in a car, with golden grassy hills visible through the window. Text: so here we are 22 days into the journey of @vssls.worship no it’s not a new church plant. we’ll still be planted in our church, serving our house, our leaders, the people God’s entrusted us with.
A glowing red neon cross on a dark hillside overlooking city lights at night. Text: it’s simply how we’ve felt stirred to extend the way we’ve served our local church… to the Church the body of Christ
An aerial view of vineyard rows and gum trees in morning mist, with a shed among the trees. Text: if you’ve read this far, thank you. we’re gathering on 26/1/26 to worship, to make room for God to pour. if you’re busy that week, no pressure—we’re not gathering a crowd. We’re just making room for vessels to come.
A black-and-white photo of two young men standing side by side outdoors under trees, smiling at the camera. Text: but would you keep us in prayer? We’re so aware of our need for God. And we’re excited to see what He can do when we give Him room to pour.
1 / 20
read the slides as text

  1. can i tell you about something God’s been doing that honestly still feels pretty surreal to me?

  2. i met Luke back in 2018 when I said yes to planting something new

    you ever said yes to something without fully knowing where it’ll lead?

    that was me.

  3. since then, I’ve had a front-row seat watching him grow in his love for God, for His Word, for the church where He’s planted, for His big-C Church, and for the people he leads.

    and watching someone give their yes even when it means uncertainty or comes with a high cost…

    That changes you too.

  4. 2 years ago at a conference, someone felt to pray and prophesy over both of us together.

    Rivers of living water. Anointing. Partnership. Worship. Restoration. Destruction to the enemy’s camp.

    Some of it resonated. Some of it felt… incomplete? strange?

    that’s us

  5. we didn’t despise it.

    but we didn’t rush into anything either.

    tbh, it kind of went on the shelf. We didn’t even remember it until a few days ago.

    Ever had God speak something that only makes sense years later?

  6. life just kept going. we stayed worshippers. served our church. grew in our relationship with God.

    but somewhere along the way, without even planning it, we started talking about writing songs for God.

    no strategy

    no formula

    we honestly hadn’t written many songs at all.

    but honestly?

    most “sessions” weren’t really sessions at all… sometimes we’d just worship. sometimes we’d drive and talk. sometimes some words would come that didn’t make complete sense, but felt like the hand of God was on that

  7. then we’d dig into Scripture

    not to finish a song, but to ask God what He’s actually saying.

    and that’s when things started changing in our personal lives

  8. some became songs. some never got a melody.

    but man, did they help us to see God in the simple things… in the everyday moments.

    they brought us to this conviction: that we should be quick to respond when we hear Him speak.

  9. that our whole life is worship. Nothing in our lives should be out of reach for Him.

    When He asks, would we give? Would we lay down? Would we offer without holding back—even if it’s misunderstood, even if it comes with a high cost?

  10. because here’s the truth we keep coming back to:

    our lives are fragile vessels

    here one moment, gone the next.

    but if we give them to Him? If we surrender to His will?

  11. He can fill any vessel with His mercy, His glory, and use it for His honorable purpose.

    have you ever stopped to think about what He could do with a life fully surrendered?

  12. just before Christmas, we felt a nudge to look at what we have in our hands

    we realized we had more than we were aware of.

    Then came the question that kept us up at night:

  13. Do we steward this faithfully, or do we choose to bury it?

    What breakthrough could we be denying others?

    How many lives aching to find Jesus simply stay where they are… if we hide what He puts inside of us?

  14. then we were led to 2 Kings 4. The widow in debt with “nothing but a jar of oil.”

    She was told: “Gather empty vessels – and not just a few.”

    the oil kept pouring until there were no more vessels to fill.

  15. we don’t know all that this means yet.

    but we do know it’s not about a few of us recording some songs in a studio.

    There was an urgency we couldn’t ignore.

  16. a conviction that it’s not about polished production, but raw, honest, expectant worship.

    a question: would we make room for vessels to be filled?

    because the oil never stopped until there were no more vessels.

    What if God’s waiting on us to make room?

  17. so here we are 22 days into the journey of @vssls.worship

    no it’s not a new church plant. we’ll still be planted in our church, serving our house, our leaders, the people God’s entrusted us with.

  18. it’s simply how we’ve felt stirred to extend the way we’ve served our local church… to the Church

    the body of Christ

  19. if you’ve read this far, thank you.

    we’re gathering on 26/1/26 to worship, to make room for God to pour.

    if you’re busy that week, no pressure—we’re not gathering a crowd. We’re just making room for vessels to come.

  20. but would you keep us in prayer? We’re so aware of our need for God.

    And we’re excited to see what He can do when we give Him room to pour.

see it on Instagram →

Luke’s story: you know what?

posted · 2 Kings 4

The same story, in Luke’s words.

Black-and-white photo of a young man in a dark T-shirt standing with his hands on his hips in front of rolling farmland and trees. Text: you know what? i still can’t quite believe what God’s been weaving together.
Black-and-white photo of two young men sitting on the back of a vehicle, grinning and making hand gestures at the camera, one wearing sunglasses. Text: in 2018, Joel said yes to a pioneering venture – and that’s how we met i had no idea what God was setting in motion.
A man in a striped shirt sings into a microphone on a dim stage with one arm outstretched, washed in pink light. Text: and honestly? getting to witness his journey up close – watching him fall more in love with Jesus, with Scripture, with the local body he’s rooted in, with the global Church, with the people entrusted to his care, it does something to you... it marks you. have you ever watched someone surrender even when the road ahead is unclear, even when the price tag is high?
View from the back of a dark auditorium lit in blue, with a seated crowd facing a stage where a speaker stands in front of a screen. Text: we were at this conference 2 years back, where an intern of the hosting ministry felt to pray for both of us together. a lot of the word landed deep: living water flowing like rivers. anointing. worship. some of it? honestly felt a bit... off? unfinished? like how we’d walk together... partnership... restoration breaking through. the enemy’s plan dismantled... that’s Joel that’s me
Two young men in a lounge room, one smiling close to the camera in a cap, the other seated at an upright piano behind him. Text: we didn't dismiss it. but we didn't force it either. if i’m being real, we kind of shelved it. didn’t even remember it until this last week. you ever had God drop something that doesn’t click until way down the line?
A selfie of two young men at an outdoor restaurant table with plates of food and bowls of rice, one in a cap squinting in the sun. Text: we kept worshipping. kept serving our local church. kept talking. kept pressing into God in our own walks with Him. some time later, we started dreaming out loud about writing songs for God, though we never got together for this reason until somewhere this time last year. no blueprint no masterplan truth is, we had barely written anything before most of our time together wasn’t structured at all. sometimes we’d just be in worship. sometimes driving around, processing life out loud. sometimes words would bubble up that felt weighty, like His fingerprints were all over them, even if we couldn’t decode them yet.
A smiling young man sits at a table beside an open book, in soft focus. Text: but we’d crack open the word not hunting for lyrics, but genuinely asking, “God, what have you got to say here?” and that’s when the shift started happening, not just in what we were writing, but in how we were living.
A young man in a striped T-shirt sits with his back to the camera at a keyboard in a plain room. Text: some these turned into melody. others never did. but every single one of these moments helped us to see God in the simple things... in the mundane, ordinary moments of life. it led us to this conviction: that we should be quick to respond when we hear Him speak.
Two cupped hands holding a mound of soil against a blurred green background. Text: that our whole life is worship, our whole being is to be an offering. NOTHING’s off limits for Him. When He prompts, will we obey? Will we let go? Will we give without reservation – even if others don’t get it, even if it costs us everything?
Shards of a broken clay pot beside a small plant pot on a dusty windowsill. Text: because we keep circling back to this truth: our lives are fragile vessels here today, but tomorrow... that’s not guaranteed but if we align ourselves with His purpose?
Looking up a wooden spiral staircase toward light streaming through small windows. Text: He can fill any vessel with His mercy, His glory, and use it for His honorable purpose. have you ever stopped to think about what could happen if you held nothing back from God?
Two young men sit at a dining table covered with open books and papers, one resting his head on his hand, with protea flowers in the foreground. Text: right before Christmas, we felt a gentle: nudge “Look at what’s already in your hands” and we realised we’ve been given more than we thought. then we had to ask ourselves some tough questions:
A man with a backpack walks along a fenced path through a redwood forest where the trail forks. Text: Are we going to faithfully steward this, or are we going to bury it out of fear? What freedom are we withholding from people? How many hearts desperate for Jesus stay stuck... if we lock away what He’s placed inside of us?
Several clay jars and vases in warm, soft light. Text: then 2 Kings 4 grabbed our attention. this widow with "nothing but a jar of oil" was instructed “Gather empty VESSELS — and not just a few." the oil kept going as long as there were vessels to fill.
A crowd with raised hands in front of a stage in a hall with tall wooden-panelled walls. Text: we’re still piecing together what this fully means... but what we know for sure is this isn’t about us hitting a recording studio to lay down some tracks. There’s this urgency that we can't shake.
A thin stream of golden oil pouring into a clear glass container. Text: what if He’s just waiting for us to make room... for vessels to be filled? because the oil never stopped until there were no more vessels to be filled
A selfie of two young men in a car, with golden grass and hills visible through the window. Text: so here we are 25 days into the journey of @vssls.worship no it’s not a new church. we're still deeply planted where God's rooted us, serving our house, honouring our leaders, caring for the community He’s given us.
A red neon cross on a hillside at night overlooking the lights of a city. Text: it’s simply how we've felt stirred to extend the way we've served our local church... to the Church the body of Christ
An aerial view of hills and valleys under a hazy blue sky. Text: if you've read this far, thank you. we're gathering on 26/1/26 to worship, to make room for God to pour. if the week’s already packed for you, no pressure, genuinely — we're not trying to pack a room. We're just making space for vessels who feel the tug to come.
Black-and-white photo of two young men standing side by side outdoors in front of trees and a building, one with his arm around the other. Text: but would you keep us in prayer? We're so aware of our need for God. And we're excited to see what He can do when we give Him room to pour.
1 / 20
read the slides as text

  1. you know what?

    i still can’t quite believe what God’s been weaving together.

  2. in 2018, Joel said yes to a pioneering venture

    – and that’s how we met

    i had no idea what God was setting in motion.

  3. and honestly?

    getting to witness his journey up close – watching him fall more in love with Jesus, with Scripture, with the local body he’s rooted in, with the global Church, with the people entrusted to his care, it does something to you... it marks you.

    have you ever watched someone surrender even when the road ahead is unclear, even when the price tag is high?

  4. we were at this conference 2 years back, where an intern of the hosting ministry felt to pray for both of us together.

    a lot of the word landed deep:

    living water flowing like rivers. anointing. worship.

    some of it? honestly felt a bit... off? unfinished? like how we’d walk together... partnership... restoration breaking through. the enemy’s plan dismantled...

    that’s Joel

    that’s me

  5. we didn't dismiss it.

    but we didn't force it either.

    if i’m being real, we kind of shelved it. didn’t even remember it until this last week.

    you ever had God drop something that doesn’t click until way down the line?

  6. we kept worshipping. kept serving our local church. kept talking. kept pressing into God in our own walks with Him.

    some time later, we started dreaming out loud about writing songs for God, though we never got together for this reason until somewhere this time last year.

    no blueprint

    no masterplan

    truth is, we had barely written anything before

    most of our time together wasn’t structured at all. sometimes we’d just be in worship. sometimes driving around, processing life out loud. sometimes words would bubble up that felt weighty, like His fingerprints were all over them, even if we couldn’t decode them yet.

  7. but we’d crack open the word

    not hunting for lyrics, but genuinely asking, “God, what have you got to say here?”

    and that’s when the shift started happening, not just in what we were writing, but in how we were living.

  8. some these turned into melody.

    others never did.

    but every single one of these moments helped us to see God in the simple things... in the mundane, ordinary moments of life.

    it led us to this conviction: that we should be quick to respond when we hear Him speak.

  9. that our whole life is worship, our whole being is to be an offering.

    NOTHING’s off limits for Him.

    When He prompts, will we obey? Will we let go? Will we give without reservation – even if others don’t get it, even if it costs us everything?

  10. because we keep circling back to this truth:

    our lives are fragile vessels

    here today, but tomorrow...

    that’s not guaranteed

    but if we align ourselves with His purpose?

  11. He can fill any vessel with His mercy, His glory, and use it for His honorable purpose.

    have you ever stopped to think about what could happen if you held nothing back from God?

  12. right before Christmas, we felt a gentle: nudge “Look at what’s already in your hands”

    and we realised we’ve been given more than we thought.

    then we had to ask ourselves some tough questions:

  13. Are we going to faithfully steward this, or are we going to bury it out of fear?

    What freedom are we withholding from people?

    How many hearts desperate for Jesus stay stuck... if we lock away what He’s placed inside of us?

  14. then 2 Kings 4 grabbed our attention.

    this widow with "nothing but a jar of oil" was instructed “Gather empty

    VESSELS

    — and not just a few."

    the oil kept going as long as there were vessels to fill.

  15. we’re still piecing together what this fully means...

    but what we know for sure is this isn’t about us hitting a recording studio to lay down some tracks.

    There’s this urgency that we can't shake.

  16. what if He’s just waiting for us to make room... for vessels to be filled?

    because the oil never stopped until there were no more vessels to be filled

  17. so here we are 25 days into the journey of @vssls.worship

    no it’s not a new church. we're still deeply planted where God's rooted us, serving our house, honouring our leaders, caring for the community He’s given us.

  18. it’s simply how we've felt stirred to extend the way we've served our local church... to the

    Church

    the body of Christ

  19. if you've read this far, thank you.

    we're gathering on 26/1/26 to worship, to make room for God to pour.

    if the week’s already packed for you, no pressure, genuinely — we're not trying to pack a room. We're just making space for vessels who feel the tug to come.

  20. but would you keep us in prayer?

    We're so aware of our need for God.

    And we're excited to see what He can do when we give Him room to pour.

Surrender: there’s something about letting go

posted · 2 Kings 4

There’s something about letting go before you know what you’re holding onto: a carousel on surrender, by Luke.

A young man in a cap stands with his back to the camera, looking out over a valley framed by tree ferns. Text: there’s something about letting go before you know what you’re holding onto - by Luke
A young man sits at a desk with his back to the camera, beside a lit lamp and beneath a framed palm print. Text: i’m learning that surrender doesn’t come with all the instructions for us, vssls started not with a bullet-pointed plan or some grand vision statement, but with this question that wouldn't leave us alone
A young man stands at a wire fence with his back to the camera, looking over green rolling farmland under a blue sky. Text: what if we just let Him have it?
A young man in a cap stands among a crowd in dim blue light, with open hands raised around him. Text: i used to think surrender was this one big moment: altar call, hands in the air, “take it all, God” and maybe sometimes it is but mostly it’s been a thousand little surrenders
Red and white balloons float upward into a blue-grey sky. Text: letting go of needing to know how it ends letting go of looking qualified letting go of the timeline we had in our heads it’s been opening our hands when clenching our fists felt way safer
Warm light spills through a doorway onto clay pots resting on a stone ledge in a dark room. Text: surrender means trusting Him with the outcome before you've even seen the beginning here’s what nobody really talks about: surrender will demand something of you
Two young men take a selfie on a city street mall decorated with Christmas trees and a giant gift box. Text: your comfort your reputation absolutely your control because what if we're clutching something that could bring a breakthrough to someone else?
A young man sitting at a piano flashes a peace sign at the camera. Text: we had to stop white-knuckling what vssls would look like this isn’t about building something impressive it’s not about making a name honestly, it’s not even really about the songs
A young man reaches toward the camera from below a ceiling of hanging strands of blue and gold lights. Text: it’s about releasing what He's put in our hands and letting Him do whatever He wants with it
Rows of carved clay pots sit together in low light. Text: the widow in 2 Kings 4 didn't have much just some oil but when she gathered those vessels and started pouring God multiplied what she couldn’t
Softly lit clay vessels of different shapes stand together in warm, blurred light. Text: our part isn’t manufacturing the miracle our part is opening our hands gather the vessels make the space pour out what we’ve got let Him handle the rest
A young man in a cap sits against a tree trunk beside a backpack, taking a selfie. Text: surrender isn’t always this dramatic thing most days it’s quiet. faithful can be kind of boring, actually it's showing up to write when we don't feel inspired it’s worshipping when we’re exhausted
A red neon cross glows on a dark hillside above the lights of a city at night. Text: it's staying rooted in our local church while extending to the wider Church it’s praying through the moments we feel way out of our depth it’s making room when staying comfortable would be easier
Large lidded clay storage jars stand close together in daylight. Text: because He's not hunting for the most talented or the most ready or the most experienced he’s looking for vessels that’ll say here, it’s Yours do what You want with it
A crowd at the front of a stage raises their hands in worship under warm light. Text: 31 days into this thing, and, we’re still figuring it out as we go but we're committed to keeping our hands open. even when it's uncomfortable even when it costs us even when we can't see three steps ahead
A close-up of the rims of unfired clay pots in muted light. Text: because surrendering to God means trusting that He sees what we don't. it means releasing control of the outcome and just focusing on releasing what's in our hands right now
Two young men smile in a car selfie, with dry grassy hills visible through the window. Text: on 26/1/26, we’re gathering to worship not because we’ve got it figured out not because we’ve arrived somewhere but because we said it’s Yours
Clay jugs hang from a pole against a sunlit plaster wall, with more pots gathered below. Text: and we’re trusting that when we make the space when we let go when we pour out He’ll show up and do what only He can do
A dark mountain ridge rises against a pale blue dusk sky, with a snow-dusted peak in the distance. Text: if you've made it this far, would you pray for us? pray that we'd keep our hands open when it gets hard pray for continued surrender when we're tempted to grab the wheel back pray for faithfulness in the small moments nobody sees
A black-and-white photo of two young men smiling side by side outdoors under trees. Text: because we’re learning that surrender isn't about having answers it’s about trusting the One who does and letting go anyway 26/1/26 - vssls live worship night Atelier Theatre, Cornerstone College, Mount Barker come as an empty vessel come in surrender link in bio
1 / 20
read the slides as text

  1. there’s something about letting go before you know what you’re holding onto

    - by Luke

  2. i’m learning that surrender doesn’t come with all the instructions

    for us, vssls started not with a bullet-pointed plan or some grand vision statement, but with this question that wouldn't leave us alone

  3. what if we just let Him have it?

  4. i used to think surrender was this one big moment:

    altar call, hands in the air, “take it all, God”

    and maybe sometimes it is

    but mostly it’s been a thousand little surrenders

  5. letting go of needing to know how it ends

    letting go of looking qualified

    letting go of the timeline we had in our heads

    it’s been opening our hands when clenching our fists felt way safer

  6. surrender means trusting Him with the outcome before you've even seen the beginning

    here’s what nobody really talks about:

    surrender will demand something of you

  7. your comfort

    your reputation

    absolutely your control

    because what if we're clutching something that could bring a breakthrough to someone else?

  8. we had to stop white-knuckling what vssls would look like

    this isn’t about building something impressive

    it’s not about making a name

    honestly, it’s not even really about the songs

  9. it’s about releasing what He's put in our hands and letting Him do whatever He wants with it

  10. the widow in 2 Kings 4 didn't have much

    just some oil

    but when she gathered those vessels and started pouring

    God multiplied what she couldn’t

  11. our part isn’t manufacturing the miracle

    our part is opening our hands

    gather the vessels

    make the space

    pour out what we’ve got

    let Him handle the rest

  12. surrender isn’t always this dramatic thing

    most days it’s quiet.

    faithful can be kind of boring, actually

    it's showing up to write when we don't feel inspired

    it’s worshipping when we’re exhausted

  13. it's staying rooted in our local church while extending to the wider Church

    it’s praying through the moments we feel way out of our depth

    it’s making room when staying comfortable would be easier

  14. because He's not hunting for the most talented or the most ready or the most experienced

    he’s looking for vessels that’ll say

    here, it’s Yours

    do what You want with it

  15. 31 days into this thing, and, we’re still figuring it out as we go

    but we're committed to keeping our hands open.

    even when it's uncomfortable

    even when it costs us

    even when we can't see three steps ahead

  16. because surrendering to God means trusting that He sees what we don't.

    it means releasing control of the outcome and just focusing on releasing what's in our hands right now

  17. on 26/1/26, we’re gathering to worship

    not because we’ve got it figured out

    not because we’ve arrived somewhere

    but because we said it’s Yours

  18. and we’re trusting that when we make the space

    when we let go

    when we pour out

    He’ll show up and do what only He can do

  19. if you've made it this far, would you pray for us?

    pray that we'd keep our hands open when it gets hard

    pray for continued surrender when we're tempted to grab the wheel back

    pray for faithfulness in the small moments nobody sees

  20. because we’re learning that surrender isn't about having answers

    it’s about trusting the One who does

    and letting go anyway

    26/1/26 - vssls live worship night

    Atelier Theatre, Cornerstone College, Mount Barker

    come as an empty vessel

    come in surrender

    link in bio

1. His Path, Not Ours

posted · Numbers 20 · Luke 9:23–25 · Genesis 12:1 · Genesis 12:4 · Hebrews 11:8 · Hebrews 11:11–12 · Luke 16:10 · Proverbs 3:5–6 · Hebrews 11:35–40 · Hebrews 12:1–2 · Philippians 2:6–8

Obedience means trusting His path even when He doesn’t give you a roadmap.

An open city map spread across a table with reading glasses, coloured pencils and a hand holding a pen over a notebook. Text: lately i’ve been asking myself What if the thing that often holds me back from full obedience isn't fear – it's that I’m waiting for a map God never promised to give?
A young man seen from behind, looking out over bushland at a vivid orange and blue sunset. Text: Here’s what I've been learning about obedience: God gives calls. He gives promises. But he doesn't always give roadmaps And that's where trust has to do its work.
A young man smiling from the driver's seat of a car with the door open. Text: And here's what's been weighing on me as someone who leads: If I don't step out in full obedience when God asks, in the way that He asks of me, the people I lead might still get their drink from the rock for the moment— But my disobedience could cost a generation their promised land. Obedience isn't just personal. It's generational. Numbers 20
A wooden cross on a grassy hilltop above pine forest and misty mountains under a cloudy sky. Text: Jesus didn't sugarcoat what following Him costs: "Take up your cross daily, and follow me." daily. Not once. Not when convenient. Every. Single. Day. "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." Luke 9:23–25
A dirt track through a green forest splitting into two paths. Text: Here’s what I’m learning about obedience: It's not about finding my path and asking God to bless it. It's about stepping onto His path—even when I can't see where it's going. So what does His path actually look like?
A person in a heavy winter coat holding a long staff behind a flock of sheep. Text: His path is not my path. His path is the one He's gone ahead to prepare. His path is the one that He makes straight. His path is the one He walks with rod and staff in hand. His path doesn't always come with turn-by-turn directions. But one thing that His path does come with? A promise - that He’ll be there in every single step.
A view through an aircraft window down a long runway stretching to the horizon. Text: We find an example of full obedience in Abram's call: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you." Notice what God didn't say? Where. How. When. He just said, “I will show you.” Genesis 12:1
An aerial view of a road winding through dense forest with a single car on it. Text: And Abram's response? "So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him..." Not "So Abram made a five-year plan first." Not "So Abram waited until it made sense." He departed. That's what full obedience on His path looks like. Genesis 12:4
A young man working at a laptop in a home studio, with a keyboard's keys in the foreground. Text: This line from our song hits different when you see Abram's story: “be quick to respond when i hear you speak” Not eventually. Not when it’s convenient. Quick. And Abram? He lived this again and again, again and again, again and again in his life.
A road disappearing into a misty forest of bare trees. Text: "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home... He went without knowing where he was going." without knowing That's the part we skip over too fast. Obedience on His path requires faith when you can't see what's ahead. Hebrews 11:8
A night sky dense with stars. Text: And you know what happened when he obeyed? From one man "as good as dead"—God multiplied a nation like the stars and sand. Uncountable. That's what God does when you walk in obedience on His path instead of demanding your own map. Hebrews 11:11–12
An open Bible beside cups of coffee on a wooden table, with hands resting nearby. Text: But here's the thing— Obedience on His path isn't just the big dramatic moments. It's the small, faithful steps. The everyday yes-es. "All my days Lord, I live them for you... each space where I live, I invite you in" His path runs through every ordinary moment.
An open dishwasher with plates and cutlery stacked in its racks. Text: "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones." Obedience on His path isn't somewhere out there. It's right here, in the small moments. The ones nobody sees. The boring, faithful, necessary. Luke 16:10
Looking down at a pair of black canvas sneakers standing on sand. Text: Full obedience on His path requires full trust. Not 80% trust with a backup plan. Not trust while you keep control. all your heart No leaning on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all Your ways and He will make your paths straight Proverbs 3:5–6
A small lone figure standing in a dark rocky cave, looking up toward daylight at the cave mouth. Text: Can I tell you what I'm learning about obedience? Sometimes His path looks outrageous – to you, to others... Moving across the world. Stepping into youth leadership while studying medicine. Moving across regions. Helping plant churches. Saying yes when the timing seems terrible. People will ask “Are you sure about this?" the only answer: “I’m sure about him.”
A black-and-white photo of a person sitting behind prison bars, face in shadow. Text: some who walked in obedience on His path were tortured. some were jeered at. some lost everything. “They were too good for this world." and yet—they walked His path anyway. because they knew: his path leads home Hebrews 11:35–40
Looking straight up through tall pine trees to a blue sky. Text: so how do you stay in obedience on His path when it gets hard? "Keep your eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." Not on the obstacles. Not on the opinions. on Jesus. Who walked His own path to the cross. Obedient to the point of dying Hebrews 12:1–2; Philippians 2:6–8
A dimly lit selfie of a smiling young man, with another young man relaxing on a couch behind him. Text: 30+ days ago, we said yes in full obedience to His path with vssls. Did we have it all figured out? No. Was it comfortable? Not even close. Did it make sense to everyone? Probably not. but here's what we knew: God said “go.” and when you obey, His path always leads somewhere worth going—even when you can't see around the bend.
A band leading worship on a stage under purple lights, with a crowd in the foreground and lyrics on a screen behind them. Text: and you want to know what's wild? every single day we walk in obedience on His path, we see his hand. The right people at the right time. The right resources when we need them. The right peace that makes no sense. His path isn't just where he sends you. It's where he meets you. Again and again.
A black-and-white photo of two young men smiling side by side outdoors. Text: one step at a time, we're still learning to walk in full obedience on His path. Not because we have it figured out. Not because the path is always clear. But because He's been faithful in every step so far. And that's enough to take the next one. His path. Not ours. to be continued
1 / 20
read the slides as text

  1. lately i’ve been asking myself

    What if the thing that often holds me back from full obedience isn't fear – it's that I’m waiting for

    a map God never promised

    to give?

  2. Here’s what I've been learning about obedience:

    God gives calls. He gives promises.

    But he doesn't always give

    roadmaps

    And that's where trust has to do its work.

  3. And here's what's been weighing on me as someone who leads:

    If I don't step out in full obedience when God asks, in the way that He asks of me,

    the people I lead might still get their drink from the rock for the moment—

    But my disobedience could cost a generation their promised land.

    Obedience isn't just personal.

    It's generational.

    Numbers 20

  4. Jesus didn't sugarcoat what following Him costs:

    "Take up your cross daily, and follow me."

    daily.

    Not once. Not when convenient.

    Every. Single. Day.

    "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

    Luke 9:23–25

  5. Here’s what I’m learning about obedience:

    It's not about finding my path and asking God to bless it.

    It's about stepping onto His path—even when I can't see where it's going.

    So what does His path actually look like?

  6. His path is not my path.

    His path is the one He's gone ahead to prepare.

    His path is the one that He makes straight.

    His path is the one He walks with rod and staff in hand.

    His path doesn't always come with turn-by-turn directions.

    But one thing that His path does come with?

    A promise - that He’ll be there in every single step.

  7. We find an example of full obedience in Abram's call:

    "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."

    Notice what God didn't say?

    Where. How. When.

    He just said,

    “I will show you.”

    Genesis 12:1

  8. And Abram's response?

    "So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him..."

    Not "So Abram made a five-year plan first."

    Not "So Abram waited until it made sense."

    He departed.

    That's what full obedience on His path looks like.

    Genesis 12:4

  9. This line from our song hits different when you see Abram's story:

    “be quick to respond when i hear you speak”

    Not eventually. Not when it’s convenient.

    Quick.

    And Abram? He lived this again and again, again and again, again and again in his life.

  10. "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home... He went without knowing where he was going."

    without knowing

    That's the part we skip over too fast.

    Obedience on His path requires faith when you can't see what's ahead.

    Hebrews 11:8

  11. And you know what happened when he obeyed?

    From one man "as good as dead"—God multiplied a nation like the stars and sand. Uncountable.

    That's what God does when you walk in obedience on His path instead of demanding your own map.

    Hebrews 11:11–12

  12. But here's the thing—

    Obedience on His path isn't just the big dramatic moments.

    It's the small, faithful steps. The everyday yes-es.

    "All my days Lord, I live them for you... each space where I live, I invite you in"

    His path runs through every ordinary moment.

  13. "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones."

    Obedience on His path isn't somewhere out there.

    It's right here, in the small moments. The ones nobody sees. The boring, faithful, necessary.

    Luke 16:10

  14. Full obedience on His path requires full trust.

    Not 80% trust with a backup plan.

    Not trust while you keep control.

    all your heart

    No leaning on your own understanding.

    Acknowledge Him in all Your ways and He will make your paths straight

    Proverbs 3:5–6

  15. Can I tell you what I'm learning about obedience?

    Sometimes His path looks outrageous – to you, to others...

    Moving across the world.

    Stepping into youth leadership while studying medicine.

    Moving across regions.

    Helping plant churches.

    Saying yes when the timing seems terrible.

    People will ask

    “Are you sure about this?"

    the only answer:

    “I’m sure about him.”

  16. some who walked in obedience on His path were tortured.

    some were jeered at. some lost everything.

    “They were too good for this world."

    and yet—they walked His path anyway.

    because they knew:

    his path leads home

    Hebrews 11:35–40

  17. so how do you stay in obedience on His path when it gets hard?

    "Keep your eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

    Not on the obstacles. Not on the opinions.

    on Jesus.

    Who walked His own path to the cross. Obedient to the point of dying

    Hebrews 12:1–2; Philippians 2:6–8

  18. 30+ days ago, we said yes in full obedience to His path with vssls.

    Did we have it all figured out? No.

    Was it comfortable? Not even close.

    Did it make sense to everyone? Probably not.

    but here's what we knew:

    God said “go.”

    and when you obey, His path always leads somewhere worth going—even when you can't see around the bend.

  19. and you want to know what's wild?

    every single day we walk in obedience on His path, we see his hand.

    The right people at the right time.

    The right resources when we need them.

    The right peace that makes no sense.

    His path isn't just where he sends you.

    It's where he meets you. Again and again.

  20. one step at a time, we're still learning to walk in full obedience on His path.

    Not because we have it figured out.

    Not because the path is always clear.

    But because He's been faithful in every step so far.

    And that's enough to take the next one.

    His path. Not ours.

    to be continued

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2. Friendship with God

posted · John 15:15 · John 15:14 · John 15:13 · Romans 5:8 · James 2:23 · Isaiah 41:8 · 2 Chronicles 20:7 · James 2:22–23 · James 2:19–20 · 1 John 3:18 · John 15:10 · 1 John 3:24 · Exodus 33:11

Obedience is the pathway to intimacy with Him—He loved us first; we respond.

Two young men walk away from the camera along a gravel path through a leafy green park. Text: What if obedience isn't just duty – what if it’s how we become friends with God
A young man plays a digital piano in a dimly lit room. Text: we wrote a song called “Friend to me” But honestly? The more I learn about obedience, the more I realize— We don’t make God our friend. Full obedience is how we respond to the friendship He‘s already offering.
A group of men in robes and head coverings, dressed as first-century disciples, walk across a grassy hillside. Text: Jesus said: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, i have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." Friends, not servants. But here‘s the thing – this friendship has conditions. John 15:15
Two people's hands meet over a document on a dark table as one of them signs with a pen. Text: right before that, Jesus said: “You are my friends if you do what I command” IF Friendship with God isn't automatic. It's not just positional. It's relational. And obedience is how we steward the friendship He's offering. John 15:14
A wooden cross stands silhouetted against a sunlit, cloudy sky. Text: but before He asked for our obedience – Jesus first demonstrated what friendship looks like. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends” He didn’t ask us to love first. He loved first. John 15:13
Seen from above, an adult reaches toward a small child on a wide paved plaza. Text: Here's what makes this friendship so radical: "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Not after we proved ourselves. Not once we got our act together. While we were still sinners. He extended friendship when we were enemies. Romans 5:8
An older bearded man in a head covering and robes rests his hand at his chin, deep in thought. Text: so when Abraham is called “friend of God" three times in scripture not "servant of God" (though he was). not "follower of God" (though he was). Friend of God it’s not because he earned it. it’s because he responded to it James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7
An older bearded man in robes and a head covering stands in a dim stone doorway holding a staff. Text: “His faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.' He was even called the friend of God." His obedience made his faith complete. Obedience completed the faith. And the completed faith led to friendship. James 2:22–23
A bare, leafless tree stands in a grassy field in front of a forested hillside. Text: Because here's the reality: “Faith without good deeds is useless." You can say you have faith. You can believe God exists. “Even demons believe” But obedience is what makes faith real. Visible. Complete. And complete faith—the kind that comes through obedience—is what friendship with God looks like. James 2:19–20
Two men work together among scattered materials in a cluttered yard beside a white-walled house under trees. Text: And friendship with God is rooted in love. Not just saying "I love you, God." But showing it through obedience. "Let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." How do we show God we love him? We obey him. 1 John 3:18
A group of people sit in a circle around a campfire at night. Text: Jesus makes this connection explicit: "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love." Obedience isn't what earns God's love. But obedience is how we remain in the love He's already given. How we stay in the friendship. John 15:10
In a black-and-white photo, two young people sit on the ground outdoors talking, one in a cap and one holding a drink. Text: "Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them." remain in fellowship That’s fellowship language. That’s intimacy language Obedience is how we maintain the closeness. 1 John 3:24
Three young men laugh together on a city street. Text: These lyrics keep coming back to me: "Like a friend, would you speak to me" What if that's not just asking God to speak like a friend— What if it's recognizing that obedience is what positions us to hear Him like a friend would?
A group of friends sit together in a bright room holding mugs and laughing. Text: Moses talked with God “face to face as one speaks to a friend." Not because Moses was perfect. Not because he never questioned. But because Moses walked in obedience—even when it was hard, even when he was scared, even when he didn't fully understand. Exodus 33:11
In a black-and-white photo, a small child holds an adult's hand as they walk along a footpath, seen from behind. Text: so what does obedience get you? not just God's approval. not just blessings. not just eternal rewards. it gets you God himself His presence. His voice. His friendship. "Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them." 1 John 3:24
In a black-and-white photo, a crucifix on a tall post rises against a grey sky above treetops. Text: but let's be honest: Friendship with God through obedience costs something. Jesus said "You are my friends if you do what I command." That "if" includes the hard commands. The uncomfortable ones. The ones that cost you something socially, financially, emotionally. Friendship with God isn't cheap. But it's worth everything.
A smiling young man in a dark jacket stands in front of a wide valley view with bushland below. Text: here's what I'm learning from experience: every step of obedience leads to a deeper sense of God's trust toward me. it's like He looks at obedience and says, “In you I am well pleased." Friend speaking to friend. Not master to servant. Friend to friend.
Two young men smile side by side in front of a rural landscape at sunset. Text: stepping out in full obedience with vssls? that cost us comfort, convenience, control But you know what it's given us? Deeper friendship with God. Clearer sense of His voice. Greater trust in His faithfulness. the kind of friendship that only comes from walking in obedience together.
An open wooden door looks out onto a sunlit lawn and a road with a house beyond. Text: so here’s the question: do you want to be God’s friend? not just His follower. not just His servant. His friend. then walk in obedience not perfectly. but consistently. wholeheartedly. His commands aren't burdens. They're invitations into friendship.
Two people stand on a grassy hilltop, silhouetted against a pale sky. Text: “Like a friend, would you speak to me” “Like a friend, you are here with me” “There’s no greater love, what a friend to me” obedience is the pathway friendship is the destination and He’s been waiting to call you friend all along.
1 / 20
read the slides as text

  1. What if obedience isn't just duty – what if it’s how we become

    friends with God

  2. we wrote a song called “Friend to me”

    But honestly? The more I learn about obedience, the more I realize—

    We don’t make God our friend.

    Full obedience is how we respond to the friendship He‘s already offering.

  3. Jesus said:

    "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead,

    i have called you friends,

    for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

    Friends, not servants.

    But here‘s the thing – this friendship has conditions.

    John 15:15

  4. right before that, Jesus said:

    “You are my friends if you do what I command”

    IF

    Friendship with God isn't automatic. It's not just positional. It's relational.

    And obedience is how we steward the friendship He's offering.

    John 15:14

  5. but before He asked for our obedience –

    Jesus first demonstrated what friendship looks like.

    “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends”

    He didn’t ask us to love first.

    He loved first.

    John 15:13

  6. Here's what makes this friendship so radical:

    "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

    Not after we proved ourselves.

    Not once we got our act together.

    While we were still sinners.

    He extended friendship when we were enemies.

    Romans 5:8

  7. so when Abraham is called “friend of God" three times in scripture

    not "servant of God" (though he was).

    not "follower of God" (though he was).

    Friend of God

    it’s not because he earned it.

    it’s because he responded to it

    James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7

  8. “His faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say:

    ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.' He was even called the friend of God."

    His obedience made his faith complete.

    Obedience completed the faith.

    And the completed faith led to friendship.

    James 2:22–23

  9. Because here's the reality:

    “Faith without good deeds is useless."

    You can say you have faith.

    You can believe God exists.

    “Even demons believe”

    But obedience is what makes faith real. Visible. Complete.

    And complete faith—the kind that comes through obedience—is what friendship with God looks like.

    James 2:19–20

  10. And friendship with God is rooted in love.

    Not just saying "I love you, God."

    But showing it through obedience.

    "Let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions."

    How do we show God we love him?

    We obey him.

    1 John 3:18

  11. Jesus makes this connection explicit:

    "If you keep my commands, you will

    remain in my love,

    just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love."

    Obedience isn't what earns God's love.

    But obedience is how we remain in the love He's already given. How we stay in the friendship.

    John 15:10

  12. "Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them."

    remain in fellowship

    That’s fellowship language.

    That’s intimacy language

    Obedience is how we maintain the closeness.

    1 John 3:24

  13. These lyrics keep coming back to me:

    "Like a friend, would you speak to me"

    What if that's not just asking God to speak like a friend—

    What if it's recognizing that obedience is what positions us to hear Him like a friend would?

  14. Moses talked with God

    “face to face

    as one speaks to a friend."

    Not because Moses was perfect.

    Not because he never questioned.

    But because Moses walked in obedience—even when it was hard, even when he was scared, even when he didn't fully understand.

    Exodus 33:11

  15. so what does obedience get you?

    not just God's approval.

    not just blessings.

    not just eternal rewards.

    it gets you God himself

    His presence. His voice. His friendship.

    "Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them."

    1 John 3:24

  16. but let's be honest:

    Friendship with God through obedience costs something.

    Jesus said "You are my friends if you do what I command."

    That "if" includes the hard commands. The uncomfortable ones. The ones that cost you something socially, financially, emotionally.

    Friendship with God isn't cheap.

    But it's worth everything.

  17. here's what I'm learning from experience:

    every step of obedience leads to a deeper sense of God's trust toward me.

    it's like He looks at obedience and says, “In you I am well pleased."

    Friend speaking to friend.

    Not master to servant.

    Friend to friend.

  18. stepping out in full obedience with vssls?

    that cost us comfort, convenience, control

    But you know what it's given us?

    Deeper friendship with God.

    Clearer sense of His voice.

    Greater trust in His faithfulness.

    the kind of friendship that only comes from walking in obedience together.

  19. so here’s the question:

    do you want to be God’s friend?

    not just His follower.

    not just His servant.

    His friend.

    then walk in obedience

    not perfectly.

    but consistently.

    wholeheartedly.

    His commands aren't burdens.

    They're invitations into friendship.

  20. “Like a friend, would you speak to me”

    “Like a friend, you are here with me”

    “There’s no greater love, what a friend to me”

    obedience is the pathway

    friendship is the destination

    and He’s been waiting to call you friend all along.

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3. The Undivided Yes

posted · James 4:4 · James 4:8 · Joshua 24:15 · Hebrews 11:35–40

Obedience requires radical, wholehearted commitment with no backup plan.

A worshipper with an arm raised, lit in deep red against a dark background. Text: We sing these lines in worship: “The cross before me, the world behind me” “Though none go with me, still I will follow” But do we actually mean them?
A line drawn through pale sand, curving across the frame. Text: because here’s the thing - these aren’t just beautiful worship lyrics. they’re radical commitments to full obedience. Line-in-the-sand declarations. And if we actually lived them out? Everything would change.
A small wooden cross hanging on a softly lit dark wall. Text: “The cross before me, the world behind me” do you know what full obedience to that actually means? It means Jesus gets priority over: Your reputation. Your comfort. Your plans. Your preferences. What people think. What makes sense. Everything
Golden desert dunes with a lone figure walking at the bottom, footprints trailing behind. Text: “Though none go with me, still I will follow” are you willing to walk in obedience even if: your friends don’t get it? your family questions it? you stand completely alone? Still I will follow.
A street lined with bombed-out, ruined buildings and rubble. Text: James doesn’t pull punches on obedience: “Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God” Enemy of God not “distant from God”. not “disappointing God”.. Enemy that’s how serious divided loyalty is. James 4:4
A black-and-white road split down the middle, with arrows painted pointing in opposite directions. Text: “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” divided loyalty: one foot in obedience. one foot out. one hand reaching for God. one hand clutching the world. God is calling it out. James 4:8
An open compass resting on green moss. Text: so what does undivided obedience actually look like? it’s a yes that’s first given to God. a yes that’s 100% for Him - before anyone else gets a vote. a yes even if it doesn’t make sense to your family, your friends, your logic. an undivided Yes to Full obedience
A whiteboard covered in handwritten song lyrics and chord numbers. Text: this is the song that birthed vssls: “I choose today to love You, I choose today to serve you, I choose today to follow You, won’t stray to the left or right, Resolve that it is my choice.” Not might choose. Not hoping to choose. I choose. Today. Now. Full obedience. No conditions.
A painting of a bearded man in ancient robes standing before a crowd. Text: this song pulls from Joshua’s challenge to Israel about obedience: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Choose this day. Not someday. As for me. Not waiting for consensus. We will serve the Lord. Decided. Done. Joshua 24:15
A single yellow flower among purple daisies. Text: the song continues: “I wanna live set apart for You. Let me life be pleasing to you, a vessel of honour, ready for Your good works”. Not casual Christianity. Wholehearted obedience. Set apart. Pleasing. Honourable. Ready. That’s what full obedience looks like.
A desk with an open notebook, a calculator and printed charts. Text: Let’s be honest about what full obedience may cost: Your reputation (people may think you’re extreme) Your comfort (obedience isn’t convienient) Your control (God’s will, not yours) Your certainty (His path, not your plan) Full obedience costs everything you’re holding onto.
A large bonfire blazing at dusk with trees behind. Text: Full obedience means no backup plan. Not “I’ll obey God unless…” Not “I’ll follow unless it costs too much…” Not “I’ll serve unless no one else will…” No back up. No safety net. all in.
Rows of white headstones in a grassy cemetery. Text: some who gave God their full obedience? they died by stoning sawed in half killed with the sword oppressed and mistreated “They were too good for this world”. and yet - they didn’t take it back. Didn’t renegotiate. Didn’t add conditions. their obedience stayed firm Hebrews 11:35–40
A wooden cross draped with a red cloth against a pale sky. Text: “Jesus paid it all, unto Him I owe” If He gave everything - His comfort, His rights, His life, His everything don’t we owe Him full obedience? not as payment (we could never pay Him back). but as response to radical love.
A city street with a red road sign reading “Changed priorities ahead”. Text: here’s what full obedience means practically: my yes for God needs to come before my yes to anyone else. before my yes to my career. before my yes to my comfort. before my yes to what makes sense. God gets first yes. everyone else gets second. that’s full obedience
A person with a backpack walking alone down a road between rocky cliffs and trees. Text: full obedience means: i’ll obey even if it looks outrageous. i’ll follow even if i’m misunderstood. i’ll surrender even if no one else does. because my obedience is to God first. Not the crowd
A black-and-white photo of a young man in a cap and sunglasses in front of a bare, dead tree. Text: can i be honest? some of my obedience moments have looked crazy to others... some even to myself... every time there was a cost. moving overseas. youth leadership. church plants. moving across regions. did i have it all worked out? no did i know how it would turn out? not even close but i knew him and that was enough to say yes.
Two young men taking a mirror selfie under woven pendant lights. Text: vssls was full obedience with no backup plan. we weren’t planning on it we didn’t have a timeline we had no guarantee But we felt God speak and ask of something and we had a choice to make -- do we give Him our yes? do we give our undivided obedience? Regardless of discomfort. Regardless of cost. Regardless of what may or may not be said. His will. His way. His glory.
A man seated with his forearms on his knees and his hands clasped. Text: back to the song: Resolve that it is my choice I just want you. resolve Not “Im hoping” or “Im trying”. Resolve. Decided. Determined. Done. My choice. Not forced. Not guilted. Chosen. I just want You. Nothing else. No one else. Just You. that’s what full obedience looks like
An aerial view of a dense green forest where a road forks in two. Text: so here’s the question: will you give God your full obedience? not when it’s convenient. not if everyone else does. not once you have it figured out. NOW. TODAY. THIS MOMENT. The cross before you. The world behind you. Though none go with you - still you will follow. will you give God your undivided yes? will you walk in full obedience? to be continued
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  1. We sing these lines in worship:

    “The cross before me, the world behind me”

    “Though none go with me, still I will follow”

    But do we actually mean them?

  2. because here’s the thing - these aren’t just beautiful worship lyrics.

    they’re radical commitments to full obedience.

    Line-in-the-sand declarations.

    And if we actually lived them out?

    Everything would change.

  3. “The cross before me, the world behind me”

    do you know what full obedience to that actually means?

    It means Jesus gets priority over:

    Your reputation. Your comfort. Your plans. Your preferences. What people think. What makes sense.

    Everything

  4. “Though none go with me, still I will follow”

    are you willing to walk in obedience even if:

    your friends don’t get it?

    your family questions it?

    you stand completely alone?

    Still I will follow.

  5. James doesn’t pull punches on obedience:

    “Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God”

    Enemy of God

    not “distant from God”.

    not “disappointing God”..

    Enemy

    that’s how serious divided loyalty is.

    James 4:4

  6. “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world”

    divided loyalty:

    one foot in obedience. one foot out.

    one hand reaching for God. one hand clutching the world.

    God is calling it out.

    James 4:8

  7. so what does undivided obedience actually look like?

    it’s a yes that’s first given to God.

    a yes that’s 100% for Him - before anyone else gets a vote.

    a yes even if it doesn’t make sense to your family, your friends, your logic.

    an undivided Yes to Full obedience

  8. this is the song that birthed vssls:

    “I choose today to love You, I choose today to serve you, I choose today to follow You, won’t stray to the left or right, Resolve that it is my choice.”

    Not might choose.

    Not hoping to choose.

    I choose. Today. Now.

    Full obedience. No conditions.

  9. this song pulls from Joshua’s challenge to Israel about obedience:

    “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

    Choose this day. Not someday.

    As for me. Not waiting for consensus.

    We will serve the Lord. Decided. Done.

    Joshua 24:15

  10. the song continues:

    “I wanna live set apart for You. Let me life be pleasing to you, a vessel of honour, ready for Your good works”.

    Not casual Christianity.

    Wholehearted obedience.

    Set apart. Pleasing. Honourable. Ready.

    That’s what full obedience looks like.

  11. Let’s be honest about what full obedience may cost:

    Your reputation (people may think you’re extreme)

    Your comfort (obedience isn’t convienient)

    Your control (God’s will, not yours)

    Your certainty (His path, not your plan)

    Full obedience costs everything you’re holding onto.

  12. Full obedience means no backup plan.

    Not “I’ll obey God unless…”

    Not “I’ll follow unless it costs too much…”

    Not “I’ll serve unless no one else will…”

    No back up. No safety net.

    all in.

  13. some who gave God their full obedience?

    they died by stoning

    sawed in half

    killed with the sword

    oppressed and mistreated

    “They were too good for this world”.

    and yet - they didn’t take it back.

    Didn’t renegotiate.

    Didn’t add conditions.

    their obedience stayed firm

    Hebrews 11:35–40

  14. “Jesus paid it all, unto Him I owe”

    If He gave everything - His comfort, His rights, His life, His everything

    don’t we owe Him full obedience?

    not as payment (we could never pay Him back).

    but as response to radical love.

  15. here’s what full obedience means practically:

    my yes for God needs to come before my yes to anyone else.

    before my yes to my career.

    before my yes to my comfort.

    before my yes to what makes sense.

    God gets first yes.

    everyone else gets second.

    that’s full obedience

  16. full obedience means:

    i’ll obey even if it looks outrageous.

    i’ll follow even if i’m misunderstood.

    i’ll surrender even if no one else does.

    because my obedience is to God first.

    Not the crowd

  17. can i be honest?

    some of my obedience moments have looked crazy to others... some even to myself...

    every time there was a cost.

    moving overseas. youth leadership. church plants. moving across regions.

    did i have it all worked out? no

    did i know how it would turn out? not even close

    but i knew him

    and that was enough to say yes.

  18. vssls was full obedience with no backup plan.

    we weren’t planning on it

    we didn’t have a timeline

    we had no guarantee

    But we felt God speak and ask of something

    and we had a choice to make --

    do we give Him our yes?

    do we give our undivided obedience?

    Regardless of discomfort. Regardless of cost. Regardless of what may or may not be said.

    His will. His way. His glory.

  19. back to the song:

    Resolve that it is my choice

    I just want you.

    resolve

    Not “Im hoping” or “Im trying”. Resolve.

    Decided. Determined. Done.

    My choice. Not forced. Not guilted. Chosen.

    I just want You. Nothing else. No one else. Just You.

    that’s what full obedience looks like

  20. so here’s the question:

    will you give God your full obedience?

    not when it’s convenient.

    not if everyone else does.

    not once you have it figured out.

    NOW. TODAY. THIS MOMENT.

    The cross before you. The world behind you. Though none go with you - still you will follow.

    will you give God your undivided yes?

    will you walk in full obedience?

    to be continued

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4. The Foundation

posted · Luke 6:47–49 · Genesis 6–9 · Luke 9:25 · 2 Timothy 4:7

Obedience is what makes your life stand when the storms come.

An aerial view looking down on a large construction site with cranes, surrounded by unfinished high-rise buildings. Text: What if the difference between a life that stands and a life that crumbles... Isn’t what you hear, but whether you obey what you hear?
A partly demolished brick building with rubble across the ground, seen through an open green gate. Text: Jesus told a story about two builders. both heard the same teaching. both built houses. but when the storms came, only one house stood. the difference wasn’t what they heard. it was their obedience to what they heard.
A construction worker in a safety harness stands in a blue elevated work platform beside a concrete building under construction. Text: “Anyone who comes to me and listens to my teaching and follows it is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock.” Comes. Listens. Follows. Not just comes. Not just listens. FOLLOWS. Thats obedience. That’s the foundation. Luke 6:47–48
An old, weathered apartment building beneath a dark, stormy sky. Text: “When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.” Well built. not because of talent. not because of luck. because of obedience. the foundation of obedience makes it stand. Luke 6:48
A street lined with ruined, collapsed buildings and piles of rubble. Text: “But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” Hears. Doesn't obey. Collapse. Ruins. the foundation of obedience was missing. Luke 6:49
A twisted, sun-bleached branch lies on dry red sand beneath a rocky outcrop and a bare tree against a blue sky. Text: so here’s what Jesus is saying: The foundations of our lives are deep, secure and solid when we come to him, listen to his teaching, and then obey it. Obeying what he says, not just listening, is what Sets you apart. And what makes your foundation stand.
A full-size wooden ark replica raised on timber supports under a blue sky. Text: Noah is a great example of building a foundation of obedience. God told him to build an ark. For a flood. When it had never rained. For 120 years Noah obeyed —- hammering, sawing, building. While everyone around him mocked.
A close-up of the weathered wooden bow of an old boat on grey water. Text: and then the flood came. the storm everyone said would never happen - happened. and Noah’s foundation of obedience? Built over 120 years of saying yes when it didn’t make sense? That foundation saved his entire family. Genesis 6–9
A young man sits speaking to a group seated on the floor in a dim room, with a stage and drum kit behind him. Text: if a leader makes way for those they lead and enables them to stand on their shoulders - i can’t expect the people i lead to build their lives on obedience if i don’t build mine on obedience myself. my foundation of obedience becomes their example. my obedience becomes their permission.
A smiling young man in a grey hoodie holds a cup of coffee with latte art outside a café, with green lawn behind him. Text: and the foundation of obedience isn’t just built in the big moments. it’s built in the small, hidden, ordinary ones; repenting for trivial matters. forgiving when it’s not deserved. being generous when I didn’t need to. choosing kindness when i’m tired. Small obediences. Deep foundation.
Dewy grass glowing in soft golden light at sunrise. Text: every morning, the foundation of obedience is being built or eroded. every choice to obey in the small things - thats another layer of bedrock. every choice to compromise - that’s another crack in the foundation. full obedience. daily.
A smiling young man in a cap takes a selfie in front of a field of yellow canola flowers under a blue sky. Text: Here’s what I’m learning about walking in full obedience with vssls: God puts a great sense of peace in our hearts as we start the day and as we go about what we feel he’s asked of us that day. that peace? that’s the feeling of a firm foundation of obedience under your feet.
Dark storm clouds over a silhouetted line of pine trees. Text: because the storms will come. not if. when. and when they do, we won’t have time to build a foundation of obedience. we’ll only have time to stand on the one that’s already built. the question is: have you been building through obedience?
Two young men take a selfie in a city park, with a fountain and high-rise buildings behind them. Text: 30+ days into vssls, while i wouldn’t call them storms, there have been moments of testing... questions we didn’t yet have answers for. ways that something so pure had been perceived otherwise. moments where it would’ve been easier to quit. but the foundation of obedience we’d been building in the years before, and in every step as we stepped out with vssls? that’s what’s kept us standing.
A young man stands holding a cable in a living room with a keyboard in the foreground and a guitar resting on an armchair. Text: the foundation of obedience isn’t built on stage. it’s built in obscurity in the moments nobody sees in the obedience nobody applauds like Noah hammering for 120 years while people laughed that’s where the deepest foundations are laid
The ruins of an old stone tower on a hillside, with mountains and blue sky behind. Text: “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?" you can build an empire with no obedience. you can build influence with no foundation. but when the storm comes — and it will— what will you have to stand on? Noah chose obedience over reputation. and his foundation saved generations. Luke 9:25
A runner in an orange shirt raises both arms in celebration during a race. Text: i want to get to the end and say: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." not "I heard good teaching." not "I had good intentions." that requires a foundation built on full obedience. 2 Timothy 4:7
A black-and-white photo of a small child riding on an adult's shoulders on a tree-lined city street. Text: here's the thing about foundations of obedience: you don't just build them for yourself. You build them for the people who will stand on your shoulders. You build them for the generation that comes after. your obedience today becomes their foundation tomorrow.
Two people stand face to face, both partly out of frame, in a muted grey interior. Text: so here’s the question you have to ask: What are you building your life on? is it obedience? or something else? because when the storm comes — and Jesus promises it will — only the foundation of obedience will stand.
The sun rising over a sea of clouds in a golden sky. Text: one day, we'll stand before God. and I don't think God will say “well done, talented and knowledgeable." I want to hear “well done, good and faithful." faithful. that’s obedience. that’s the foundation. to be continued
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  1. What if the difference between a life that stands and a life that crumbles...

    Isn’t what you hear, but whether you obey what you hear?

  2. Jesus told a story about two builders.

    both heard the same teaching. both built houses.

    but when the storms came, only one house stood.

    the difference wasn’t what they heard.

    it was their obedience to what they heard.

  3. “Anyone who comes to me and listens to my teaching and follows it is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock.”

    Comes. Listens. Follows.

    Not just comes. Not just listens.

    FOLLOWS.

    Thats obedience. That’s the foundation.

    Luke 6:47–48

  4. “When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.”

    Well built.

    not because of talent. not because of luck. because of obedience.

    the foundation of obedience makes it stand.

    Luke 6:48

  5. “But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

    Hears. Doesn't obey. Collapse. Ruins.

    the foundation of obedience was missing.

    Luke 6:49

  6. so here’s what Jesus is saying:

    The foundations of our lives are deep, secure and solid when we come to him, listen to his teaching, and then obey it.

    Obeying what he says, not just listening, is what Sets you apart.

    And what makes your foundation stand.

  7. Noah is a great example of building a foundation of obedience.

    God told him to build an ark. For a flood. When it had never rained.

    For 120 years Noah obeyed —- hammering, sawing, building.

    While everyone around him mocked.

  8. and then the flood came.

    the storm everyone said would never happen - happened.

    and Noah’s foundation of obedience? Built over 120 years of saying yes when it didn’t make sense?

    That foundation saved his entire family.

    Genesis 6–9

  9. if a leader makes way for those they lead and enables them to stand on their shoulders -

    i can’t expect the people i lead to build their lives on obedience if i don’t build mine on obedience myself.

    my foundation of obedience becomes their example.

    my obedience becomes their permission.

  10. and the foundation of obedience isn’t just built in the big moments.

    it’s built in the small, hidden, ordinary ones;

    repenting for trivial matters.

    forgiving when it’s not deserved.

    being generous when I didn’t need to.

    choosing kindness when i’m tired.

    Small obediences. Deep foundation.

  11. every morning, the foundation of obedience is being built or eroded.

    every choice to obey in the small things - thats another layer of bedrock.

    every choice to compromise - that’s another crack in the foundation.

    full obedience. daily.

  12. Here’s what I’m learning about walking in full obedience with vssls:

    God puts a great sense of peace in our hearts as we start the day and as we go about what we feel he’s asked of us that day.

    that peace?

    that’s the feeling of a firm foundation of obedience under your feet.

  13. because the storms will come.

    not if. when.

    and when they do, we won’t have time to build a foundation of obedience. we’ll only have time to stand on the one that’s already built.

    the question is: have you been building through obedience?

  14. 30+ days into vssls, while i wouldn’t call them storms, there have been moments of testing...

    questions we didn’t yet have answers for.

    ways that something so pure had been perceived otherwise.

    moments where it would’ve been easier to quit.

    but the foundation of obedience we’d been building in the years before, and in every step as we stepped out with vssls?

    that’s what’s kept us standing.

  15. the foundation of obedience isn’t built on stage.

    it’s built in obscurity

    in the moments nobody sees

    in the obedience nobody applauds

    like Noah hammering for 120 years while people laughed

    that’s where the deepest foundations are laid

  16. “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?"

    you can build an empire with no obedience. you can build influence with no foundation.

    but when the storm comes — and it will— what will you have to stand on?

    Noah chose obedience over reputation. and his foundation saved generations.

    Luke 9:25

  17. i want to get to the end and say:

    "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

    not "I heard good teaching." not "I had good intentions."

    that requires a foundation built on full obedience.

    2 Timothy 4:7

  18. here's the thing about foundations of obedience:

    you don't just build them for yourself.

    You build them for the people who will stand on your shoulders. You build them for the generation that comes after.

    your obedience today becomes their foundation tomorrow.

  19. so here’s the question you have to ask:

    What are you building your life on?

    is it obedience? or something else?

    because when the storm comes — and Jesus promises it will — only the foundation of obedience will stand.

  20. one day, we'll stand before God.

    and I don't think God will say “well done, talented and knowledgeable."

    I want to hear “well done, good and faithful."

    faithful. that’s obedience. that’s the foundation.

    to be continued

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5. Love Compels

posted · 2 Corinthians 5:14 · 1 John 4:19 · 1 John 5:3 · 1 John 3:18 · Mark 14:3–9 · Philippians 2:17

Obedience can only be sustained by love—the fuel that outlasts duty, willpower, and fear.

Olive trees in a walled garden with gravel paths and low shrubs. Text: what keeps you obedient when obedience costs you everything? not just once. but again and again.
A tattooed hand reaching out, palm open, beside the curved back of a wooden chair in a dim room. Text: because here’s the reality: full obedience often comes with a high cost. your comfort. your reputation. your plans. your security. sometimes it costs relationships. sometimes it costs opportunities. sometimes it costs being misunderstood.
The silhouette of a person climbing a steep rock face against a pale evening sky. Text: so what sustains you when the cost keeps climbing? what keeps you saying yes when there’s every reason to quit? duty? that runs out. willpower? that's finite. fear of consequences? that makes you resentful. there has to be something more powerful.
A glowing red neon heart held against a dark red background. Text: “For Christ's love compels us...” compels. not guilts. not manipulates. not pressures. your friends don’t get it? your family questions it? you stand completely alone? Love is the only force strong enough to sustain costly obedience over a lifetime. 2 Corinthians 5:14
A young man sitting among tall wildflowers in a sunlit field. Text: full obedience requires wholehearted devotion. anything short of wholehearted devotion can rarely suffice as the motivation. you can obey out of duty for a season. you can obey out of fear for a moment. But you can only obey wholeheartedly, over a lifetime, Out of love
Three wooden crosses on a rocky hilltop above a blue lake and distant mountains. Text: but here’s what makes this love so powerful: We don’t love Him first. “We love because he first loved us.” His love initiates. His love demonstrates. His love compels. and our obedience? It’s the overflow of being loved first.. 1 John 4:19
Gloved hands sorting rows of canned food and donated goods on a table. Text: “This is love for God: to keep his commands.” Not just loving Him in feelings. Not just loving Him in worship. Loving Him in obedience 1 John 5:3
A farmer standing behind two yoked oxen in a field. Text: and here’s the wild part: "And his commands are not burdensome." not burdensome? when you obey out of love, the weight changes. it's still costly. but it's not burdensome. because love makes the unbearable bearable. 1 John 5:3
An open Bible, a notebook and a pen on a wooden table surrounded by potted plants. Text: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” love isn't just words. it’s not "I love you, God" while living for yourself. it's not worship songs while refusing to obey. love is made visible in obedience. 1 John 3:18
A glass perfume bottle lit by warm amber light against a dark background. Text: there’s a story about a woman who brought an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. she broke it. poured it all out on Jesus. people were outraged. “What a waste!” but Jesus said: “She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
A glass perfume bottle lying on its side on soft white fabric, with a little amber liquid pooled inside. Text: why did she do it? not duty. not fear. not obligation. Love love that compelled her to pour out something expensive, something precious, something irreplaceable. that’s what love does. it pours out. Mark 14:3–9
A clear perfume bottle lying on draped grey satin. Text: Our lives are alabaster jars. fragile. finite. precious. and obedience out of love means we pour them out for Him— not drop by drop when it’s convenient. but Broken out poured out given completely
A golden drink being poured from a bottle into a cut-crystal glass. Text: Paul said it this way: “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice.” Poured out like a drink offering. His life. His comfort. His safety. His everything. because love compels what duty never could. Philippians 2:17
A young man in a cap takes a selfie on a city street beneath a street sign reading Azusa St. Text: here’s what I’m learning: Love is probably the only thing that has the ability to compel you to follow after every single thing God has asked of you. Not some things. Every thing. Because love doesn’t count the cost and quit. Love counts the cost and says Worth it
Two young men take a selfie in a car, one in sunglasses and the other waving. Text: if nothing else, the hearts and souls that have turned towards him in these last 30+ days has been worth every drop of alabaster poured out. every uncomfortable moment. every unconventional decision. every cost. worth it. because God compels us.
A car dashboard fuel gauge glowing orange in the dark, its needle near empty. Text: so here’s the question we have to ask ourselves: What’s fueling your obedience? Is it love? Or something else? because everything else will eventually run out. But love? Love sustains. Love compels. Love endures.
Hands resting on an open Bible beside a coffee cup on a wooden table. Text: And if you’re realizing your obedience isn’t fueled by love— Good. That’s the first step. because we can’t manufacture love for God. but we can position ourselves to receive it. Spend time with Him. Remember what He’s done. Let His love for you sink deeper. Love grows when you’re with the One who loved you first.
A long straight road stretching between autumn trees towards the horizon. Text: One step at a time, we continue to walk out what we feel God put on our hearts with vssls. In full obedience and in quick response. Until our lives are poured out like a drink offering. Until we hear “well done, good and faithful”— Friend speaking to friend.
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read the slides as text

  1. what keeps you obedient when obedience costs you everything?

    not just once.

    but again and again.

  2. because here’s the reality:

    full obedience often comes with a high cost.

    your comfort. your reputation. your plans. your security.

    sometimes it costs relationships.

    sometimes it costs opportunities.

    sometimes it costs being misunderstood.

  3. so what sustains you when the cost keeps climbing?

    what keeps you saying yes when there’s every reason to quit?

    duty? that runs out.

    willpower? that's finite.

    fear of consequences? that makes you resentful.

    there has to be something more powerful.

  4. “For Christ's love compels us...”

    compels.

    not guilts. not manipulates. not pressures.

    your friends don’t get it?

    your family questions it?

    you stand completely alone?

    Love

    is the only force strong enough to sustain costly obedience over a lifetime.

    2 Corinthians 5:14

  5. full obedience requires wholehearted devotion.

    anything short of wholehearted devotion can rarely suffice as the motivation.

    you can obey out of duty for a season.

    you can obey out of fear for a moment.

    But you can only obey wholeheartedly, over a lifetime,

    Out of love

  6. but here’s what makes this love so powerful:

    We don’t love Him first.

    “We love because he first loved us.”

    His love initiates. His love demonstrates. His love compels.

    and our obedience? It’s the overflow of being loved first..

    1 John 4:19

  7. “This is love for God: to keep his commands.”

    Not just loving Him in feelings.

    Not just loving Him in worship.

    Loving Him in obedience

    1 John 5:3

  8. and here’s the wild part:

    "And his commands are not burdensome."

    not burdensome?

    when you obey out of love, the weight changes.

    it's still costly. but it's not burdensome.

    because love makes the unbearable bearable.

    1 John 5:3

  9. “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

    love isn't just words.

    it’s not "I love you, God" while living for yourself.

    it's not worship songs while refusing to obey.

    love is made visible in obedience.

    1 John 3:18

  10. there’s a story about a woman who brought an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume.

    she broke it.

    poured it all out on Jesus.

    people were outraged.

    “What a waste!”

    but Jesus said:

    “She has done a beautiful thing to me.”

  11. why did she do it?

    not duty. not fear. not obligation.

    Love

    love that compelled her to pour out something expensive, something precious, something irreplaceable.

    that’s what love does. it pours out.

    Mark 14:3–9

  12. Our lives are alabaster jars.

    fragile. finite. precious.

    and obedience out of love means we pour them out for Him—

    not drop by drop when it’s convenient.

    but

    Broken out

    poured out

    given completely

  13. Paul said it this way:

    “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice.”

    Poured out like a drink offering.

    His life. His comfort. His safety. His everything.

    because love compels what duty never could.

    Philippians 2:17

  14. here’s what I’m learning:

    Love is probably the only thing that has the ability to compel you to follow after every single thing God has asked of you.

    Not some things. Every thing.

    Because love doesn’t count the cost and quit.

    Love counts the cost and says

    Worth it

  15. if nothing else, the hearts and souls that have turned towards him in these last 30+ days has been worth every drop of alabaster poured out.

    every uncomfortable moment.

    every unconventional decision.

    every cost.

    worth it.

    because God compels us.

  16. so here’s the question we have to ask ourselves:

    What’s fueling your obedience?

    Is it love? Or something else?

    because everything else will eventually run out.

    But love?

    Love sustains. Love compels. Love endures.

  17. And if you’re realizing your obedience isn’t fueled by love—

    Good. That’s the first step.

    because we can’t manufacture love for God.

    but we can position ourselves to receive it.

    Spend time with Him. Remember what He’s done. Let His love for you sink deeper.

    Love grows when you’re with the One who loved you first.

  18. One step at a time,

    we continue to walk out what we feel God put on our hearts with vssls.

    In full obedience and in quick response.

    Until our lives are poured out like a drink offering.

    Until we hear “well done, good and faithful”—

    Friend speaking to friend.

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