First Published Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"Walk in my presence! And be wholehearted!"
"I assure you, among all those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist - but the lowest person in the kingdom of the skies is greater than him."
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Abraham was known for his unquestioning obedience to God. To trust God, and to do what God expects, is the very essence of faith.
John the Baptist lived a simple life marked by an almost fanatical devotion to serving God. He had no regular job, no home, no things. Yet Jesus called John the greatest in God's kingdom.
In the Easter sermon at Dexter United Methodist Church, less than a week ago, the pastor made this point - that everything we do: all our strivings, schedulings, activities, stressings, etc., really count for nothing. The only thing that matters is serving Christ. It was part of a sermon series entitled The Hard Sayings of Jesus.
How about these three things:
* Walk with God.
* Be wholehearted (sincere, pure, righteous).
* Give up everything to serve the Lord.
Abraham believed God, and followed Him. John the Baptist gave it all up. These are two very hard lessons.
Are we ready to rejoice at the wealthy guy that gives it all up to preach to the poor? How about encouraging our friends and family to drop their hobbies and busy schedules, so that they can spend reflective time in God's word and prayer? How about taking a bold stand for virtues such as honesty, sincerity, loyalty, purity, charity?
These pretty much say it all. But on the other side of obedience, trust, purity, and simplicity, are land as far as we can see, a family too numerous to count, and a seat of honor in God's Kingdom.
Do we believe this? What may we conclude by our behavior?
John the Baptist lived a simple life marked by an almost fanatical devotion to serving God. He had no regular job, no home, no things. Yet Jesus called John the greatest in God's kingdom.
In the Easter sermon at Dexter United Methodist Church, less than a week ago, the pastor made this point - that everything we do: all our strivings, schedulings, activities, stressings, etc., really count for nothing. The only thing that matters is serving Christ. It was part of a sermon series entitled The Hard Sayings of Jesus.
How about these three things:
* Walk with God.
* Be wholehearted (sincere, pure, righteous).
* Give up everything to serve the Lord.
Abraham believed God, and followed Him. John the Baptist gave it all up. These are two very hard lessons.
Are we ready to rejoice at the wealthy guy that gives it all up to preach to the poor? How about encouraging our friends and family to drop their hobbies and busy schedules, so that they can spend reflective time in God's word and prayer? How about taking a bold stand for virtues such as honesty, sincerity, loyalty, purity, charity?
These pretty much say it all. But on the other side of obedience, trust, purity, and simplicity, are land as far as we can see, a family too numerous to count, and a seat of honor in God's Kingdom.
Do we believe this? What may we conclude by our behavior?
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NOTE to the Reader: You are invited to follow my blog entitled "My Prelude to 2020", in which I share reflections of my life over the course of sixty years, and the parallels in place with world events, that seemed to make the events of 2020 inevitable.
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