The following thoughts were submitted by Pastor Jim on January 16, 2015…
Greetings Friends:
PLEASE READ: Mark 12:28-31
One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?” Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.” (CEV).
Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus instructing His disciples to follow Him completely. Passages such as Luke 9:57-62 present this in very dramatic terms.
Could it be that many would-be disciples are too influenced by the culture, to living up to the expectations of others, to walking the road of least resistance, of doing everything the easy way and least expensive, that we do not live a holy life which honors God? Could it be that people are becoming so self-absorbed that their practice of the Christian faith is inconsistent?
What I mean is, those who are one way in church, but then when outside of church they act, talk, and do things which are contrary to the faith? Such behavior threatens to make us “part-time” Christians (to borrow from David Meece), if that were possible.
As part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 CEV).
Additional verses such as (along with many others):
Leaning upon Jesus’ teachings John Wesley taught Methodist’s the following in 1766:
“[I am] convinced more than ever of the absolute impossibility of being half a Christian. And I determined through His grace (I sensed deeply the absolute necessity of grace) to live all devoted to God, to give Him all my soul, my body, and my substance.
Can any thoughtful person say that I carried matters too far? Or that anything less could pass muster with Him who has given Himself for us? Surely, then, we must give ourselves to Him. Yes, all we have, and all we are.”
Wesley’s words are straight and to the point, to be sure. Yet to live a life of holiness, to live a life as Jesus asks, for us to reflect Jesus Christ requires that we read the Scriptures, that our life reflects our faith, that we serve God, and allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide. That takes intentional “practice” and time. But it is time and energy well invested.
Shalom,
Pastor Jim
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