In reading Matthew Chapter 6, we notice that Jesus Christ was very transparent concerning what it is we should expect in following Him, He did not sugar coat anything. He made it clear what will be dealt to us on this side of Jordan once we decide to follow Him.
Someone might then think "well, maybe I should not follow Him so I don't get attacked by His enemy." My response to such a person is this: remember that the enemy of Jesus Christ is your enemy as well. That's why no sooner than God places Adam in the garden and tells him to have rule over all the earth, the serpent shows up and causes Adam to forfeit his God given dominion (Genesis 1: 28). So you see, you are an enemy to the devil whether or not you make a choice for Jesus.
You need to make a choice for Jesus because:
1. He made you (Gen 1:26-27)
2. He loves you with an unconditional and everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)
3. He came to redeem you to Himself after the fall of Adam (Gal 3:13, Titus 2:14, Revelation 5:9)
4. He has prepared a place for you with Him in eternity where there is no pain or shame (John 14:2)
5. The alternative is to stay under the authority of the devil and end up with him in eternal damnation where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
6. You can add nothing to Jesus, He can add life to you. Therefore you do yourself a favor, not Him, by making this choice.
Someone reading this will insist that they've made a choice for Jesus already, so why am I carrying on about it? I am stressing the point because many think they have chosen Jesus when in fact they have not. Saying it, even in the presence of people doesn't mean you have really chosen Him. Choosing Jesus is a heart thing. You decide to become His disciple, to follow Him (to copy him) as it were, that is what choosing Him entails. You follow Him until you become like Him, but the first step is choosing to follow Him.
Here's what I'm saying, when you decide to follow Him, you decide to make a turn from the direction you were headed before. For example, I am on Interstate 10 headed west from Houston toward San Antonio, then I change my mind and decide to go to New Orleans, Louisiana. To effect this change, I have to turn around, and start heading east on the same Interstate 10. Should I keep on westward although all the time proclaiming that I've changed my mind and now want to go to New Orleans, I will not get any closer to New Orleans as long as I stay westward. As a matter of fact, I will only get farther away from New Orleans.
This is how it is with changing our minds and turning to Jesus Christ. If we insist that we've changed our minds and turned to Jesus but continue along the same path we've always been on, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. We have to make a real turn otherwise we will end up where we were headed originally. And this is the state of many a professing Christian. Professing to be going one way when in actuality, they are headed another.
We need to examine ourselves, our walk, and make a U-turn to the direction of the Lord. The one who is your master is the one you follow and obey. This brings me to the second covenant we need to cut with God. We have accepted Jesus as our Savior in His substitutionary work for us, we now need to accept Him as our Lord. This is the second covenant. We need to fully submit our lives and ways to His Lordship, and by the help of the Holy Spirit, we will follow only the voice of Jesus.
Now we cannot maintain the terms of a covenant by ourselves but the same Jesus who is our salvation will help by His blood, and His Spirit, keep us within the terms of our contract with God. We must however, cooperate with Him. He will not superimpose on us which I think is what a lot of Christians hope for. He wants your love and cooperation. Then He will strengthen you in your commitment to Him.
When we make that U-turn, then and only then can we say that He is our Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, with the enabling help of your Spirit, help me make a true change of heart to submit to the Lordship of your son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
#momomily2013
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