We live in a time where everyone wants us to subscribe to something – YouTube, Netflix, meal services, etc. Whether we are aware of it or not, we sometimes subscribe to things based on certain actions or inactions. One of the definitions of subscribe is to come into agreement to something. That is primarily what I want to explore.
Have you ever signed up for a promotion and received a free gift with your subscription? I must admit; I have frequently signed up for meal services when they are offering free meal boxes, and then once the promotion is over, I cancel my subscription. Some people treat Jesus how I treat my HelloFresh subscription. They subscribe to him for the gift and then cancel. They never intended to keep the subscription, but only accepted it for what they could get out of it. Some people come to Jesus for the gift, but they don’t want to continue their subscription. Some want him to move based on a situation in their life, but when they get their prayer answered (or not answered how they want), they cancel their subscription. A subscription is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to have the ability to subscribe to him. He did the hard part, and all he asks is that we maintain the subscription. There is no unsubscribe button on his end, only ours.
When we receive Jesus, we are subscribing to him. When we subscribe to him, we are coming into agreement with what he’s offering us and promising obedience to him. When you subscribe to something, you agree to receive it regularly. If I subscribe to HelloFresh, I expect to receive my box every week. When we subscribe to him, we should be receiving him regularly. The Bible says to take up our cross and follow him daily.
We must also be careful to whom or to what we are subscribing. If we are not subscribing to Jesus, to whom are we subscribing? In 2 Chronicles 18:1, Jehoshaphat aligned himself with Ahab. Jehoshaphat was a good King, King of Judah, and Ahab was a bad King, King of Israel. Jehoshaphat aligned himself with Ahab to go into battle even though God told him not to, and it almost cost him his life. Be careful what you allow into your spirit. Is it edifying? Is it pleasing to God? We think that some things are not a big deal, but the things we choose to align ourselves with can cost us our lives, or dedication, and our salvation.
So, what does it mean to agree with him? Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Agreement means in harmony. My husband and I always hold hands when we walk. It is a sign that we are in harmony with each other, walking together. Now, if I were to walk too fast or two slow, we wouldn’t be in harmony anymore. Many times, that is our relationship with God. He reaches out and wants to be in harmony with us, but we don’t allow it. To agree, at least one person in the party must change. If I am walking faster than my husband, then either he has to speed up, or I have to slow down. In Malachi 3:6, God says, “I, the Lord, do not change.” So, if God is unchanging, his ways and thoughts do not change, which means if we are going to agree with him, logically, we must be the ones to change.
What are the basic requirements for this kind of fellowship to walk with God? Micah 6:8 lists three requirements: To do justly (live righteously), to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. God says if we cultivate these three aspects of character, the result will be that we will be able to walk with God and have fellowship with him.
We see previously in Amos that for us to walk with God, we must agree with his ways and his thoughts, but the Bible also makes it clear that by nature, God’s ways and thoughts are different than ours. In Isaiah 55:6-9, we see that when we turn to God, it’s not enough to just turn in outward act, but what really matters is our inward ways and thoughts. That’s what must be forsaken to turn to God, relate to God, and be reconciled with God. Because God is perfect, and we are yet being made perfect, his ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours. Naturally, the way we are inclined to think is not the way God thinks. As the heavens are higher than the earth is the immeasurable gap between God’s ways and thoughts and ours.
How do we bridge this immeasurable gap? God shows us in Isaiah 55:10-13. Notice how God uses the imagery of rain and snow to reveal how his ways and thoughts are brought down. As rain and snow comes down from heaven, so does his word come down to us. Sometimes it comes down like rain and immediately saturates and becomes fruitful, and sometimes it hits a hard surface like snow, and it doesn’t saturate and become fruitful until the temperature starts to change.
When we receive God’s word and let it work in our hearts and minds, we see positive results. What used to be unfruitful will now be productive for his glory. God is an everlasting subscription. We don’t ever have to worry about being canceled, but we do have to come into agreement with his ways and requirements.
Saved by Grace 
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