I believe there are moments in every life that transition and develop the mindset which one approaches life. I’ve had, and continue to have, many of these moments occur on a regular basis. There are two short ‘moments’ of this nature I’d like to highlight in the next few moments here. One of them has to do with the scriptures; primarily the words of Christ.
See, as a child and young adult, I was very familiar with the teachings of the Christ. They were diligently taught to me in many Sunday school sessions, morning times with my mother, and personal devotions, both voluntary and mandatory; there was a month of my life where my parents forced me to read one hour of the scriptures every day, as punishment for some action I did. While that may have given me a sour taste of the Word, at that time, I soon learned to cherish the times where I was able to dig into the word.
The transition occurred this year. As I was reading from Matthew, where Christ gives the famous “Sermon on the Mount” presenting The Beatitudes, rules for living, and what types of people will inherit all their Heavenly Father has in store for them. Perhaps it was a light bulb of sorts, but I realized His commandments and admonishment were not simply suggestions or feel-good words to a crowd of hungry people. Instead, I began to see them as commandments and rules that we can confidently trust in. See, I would not like a rule that sentenced me to a life of misery. However, a rule that commands me to not worry about the stresses of tomorrow, or that promises our Heavenly Father enjoys blessing his children, is one that I am happy to live with!
The transition point for me was taking Christ out of “Story mode” in His words, and transitioning to the real, factual, and commanding words that He spoke on that day. Christ, the Son of God, who has fought the very battle of life and death, victorious in His conquest of sin, and the One who has walked the very paths of Hell, itself, is a commanding force who demands credibility and authority when He speaks.
Ahem, Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, the Son of God would like to have a word with you…by the way, He has fire in his eyes and is coming with a sword!
See, we’ve taken the Son of God and turned Him into an idol that we can understand; rather than glorifying Him for the great accomplishment He had with victory at the cross, we’ve turned Him into a simple Precious Moments character, capable of nothing. Even worse, we have turned the Son of God, Jesus Christ, into a character and figment of our imagination that we feel comfortable disobeying. See, if we had a healthy sense of fear and respect for Him, we would take seriously His words. Brothers and sisters, we do this at the cost of our own lives and potential for blessing.
You see, if we were to listen and obey the commandments of the LORD, our very lives would look different. We would be known by our love, trusted because of our faith, sought after for our wisdom, and respected because of our character. This does not mean that the life of a righteous man/woman is a walk in the park. What it means is that a righteous life is one that has a right perspective about the most important things in life that truly matter.
Do you listen to your Heavenly Father?
When you read the words of Christ, do you believe them? If so, would others around you be able to tell that you live a life reflective of His words?
Seek first, beloved.
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