Here are a couple of questions for us to ponder today... do we hear Jesus calling us, and if so, are we prepared to come to Him when He beckons? As disciples we should be listening to His voice and always ready to go to Him... he gives us much more than something to do… He gives us rest.
How big is the passion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ? How complete the grace of God that this represents? Do we find ourselves praying for the individual sins we have committed but neglecting God’s amazing forgiveness of the overarching concept of sin? So, how great is the passion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Have we ever stopped to consider the unfathomable depth of what was accomplished for us? Maybe we can get a glimpse of it in a mother’s loving eyes.
So often we think that there is but one way that we are called, and that God has a single process for leading all of us. We somehow get in our minds that there is but one way to serve God too, and that if we don’t fit into the biblical walk exhibited by one of the twelve apostles then we are not correct in our faith. In fact, we are all unique in our relationship with the Lord through Jesus Christ.
Do you feel like a victim of Adam and Eve? Do you view yourself as having been strapped with the responsibility for a sin they committed? Nothing could be further from the truth... in fact, the realization of our own sins is more than enough to deal with. So, what did we receive from Adam that brings us death?
Are we Saints? Are we Holy and assured of heaven after death? If so, that is wonderful, and if not... why not? We are all called to be saints, but what do we do with this, our exalted calling? Is achieving sainthood our ultimate destination where we will find God’s vision for us is finally complete, or is this just the beginning with more yet to come?
How is my prayer life? This is a something that I should ask myself from time to time and it should cause me to adjust my praying according to God’s response as He answers this all-important question. It is more than introspection. When we pose this question it requires that God also weigh in because it is He with whom we are sharing ourselves.
The day after going to the altar and accepting Jesus Christ as our savior, Satan begins to work at us... will our faith withstand his onslaught? Believing is easy when we are on the mountain, but when we go back to the valley we must reach out to the Lord for help. So as a new Christians we should be prepared for this moment. In Mark 9 we read about Jesus healing a boy who had an unclean spirit and in this account we hear the boy’s father plead for Jesus to help them. In doing so this distraught father relates the boy’s condition and then begs using these words. “”.... But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."” Mark 9:22 ESV
When we are lifted up and standing in that spiritual high place with Jesus do we want to stay there forever? When we are feeling the electric thrill of faith coursing through us and every hair on our body has risen as if in unison to the breeze of God's breath, do we want to remain in that state always? Well of course the answer is yes, but that is not what we are meant to do.
Many devout Christians will reach a place in their faith where they will call out to the Lord asking that they join Him in the suffering He experienced. One feels that if God breaks our bread and pours out our wine that the relationship we have with Him will grow all the closer, but something unexpected happens... it isn't God who breaks us and pours us out.
If our faith is predicated on understanding God then we will fail at it. God is more than the natural things that we can quantify, classify, and catalog; He is spiritual and until we grasp that fact and immerse ourselves in that reality we are doomed to never truly knowing Him at all.
Am I willing to abandon myself to Jesus Christ? Can I put down my own self-interests and pick up the cross? If I can't answer "Yes" to these questions then I am confined, at best, to being an onlooker in the audience as Jesus teaches, and not a disciple that follows Him wherever He leads...
Do you want to follow Jesus but have something you must do first? Has God called you for a specific purpose but the timing is not convenient for you? If that is the case, did you console yourself by saying "God understands that I will eventually come" or perhaps some other rationalization? Well, think again. The table may be cleared when you finally get there.
Do you have a gift to offer God, but you just can't find the right moment to give it to Him? Are you standing before the altar with doubt in your mind wondering if He will receive your offering? Is your spirit unsettled and in a state that keeps you at arm's distance from God's will in some matter? In moments like these there is something not right and we feel an emptiness of spirit... listen as the Holy Spirit directs us in clearing away the obstruction.
Are you working hard to do all the things that Jesus spoke of during His Sermon on the Mount? If so, how is that working out for you? Are you going at it alone, or are you leaning on Jesus for your success? Sometimes we get tripped up by what sounds like the simplest of His instructions, but this happens to us, and we will most certainly fail if we struggle along by ourselves.
How many little things of faith have you left unaddressed? I dare say the major items are either solved or you are working with God on them, but have you overlooked the small and seemingly less important nuances to your walk with Jesus? Is there someone you need to forgive, but that you have been thinking that you will do it tomorrow?