UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO CHRIST

WEDNESDAY 02 OCTOBER 2024

Someone said, "Some of Jesus' sayings seem to contradict few other things He said in other parts of the Scripture." Really? Well, this might be one of those: Why would the Prince of Peace say that He did not come to bring peace? Doesn't Jesus say in other verses that He came to give us peace? Did Jesus ­really come to turn us against members of our own families? (see Matthew 10:34-35 NIV). Well, not necessarily so, but He is pointing out here that conflicts, even with family members, could be possible because we are fully committed to serving Him.

Reference: Matthew 10:39 New Living Translation (NLT)

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."

Jesus calls us and gives us His own life, and to live this new life, we must put our old ways behind us; we must never look back, instead we must be committed to living for Him. So losing your own life doesn't necessarily mean to die a physical death. It is more of Pauline epistolary expression in Ephesians 4:23 than physical death, and it reads, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires." And do what? Wear Christ!

Although the people around us might not like such radical transformation, including some family members, you must make up your to maximize Christ. Even in cases where family members are Christians, we all don't serve God with the same level of zeal or fervency. Why? Our love for God could be at different degrees and levels, because it depends on individual revelation and commitment. That a family member is just a Christian does not mean He's all out, burning for Christ. You can become a nuisance in this midst of lukewarm Christians or family, if you're a burning and shining light.

To instantiate this verity, Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30 (NLT) "...And I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property- along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life" (see also Matthew 19:29 and Luke 18:29-30 NLT). This significantly indicates that it is quite possible to give up anybody and anything to gain Christ. Yet you gain all over time because Christ is the Lord over all. 

Zero wonder, Jesus stated in Matthew 10:34-35 (KJV) saying, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." Put in another way, following Jesus can cause rifts in families, friendships, and even a valuable association, on account of His rightful demand for full allegiance over ­every other human relationship or earthly pursuit, and so, it is really about evaluating and weighing our priorities with the standard of His eternal worth, which cannot be compared with anything.

When Jesus Himself said in Luke 14:26 (NLT), "If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else - your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple", what did you think of His statement? He didn't mean carnal dislike. By this He meant - complete and unwavering commitment to serving Him. In a nutshell, choosing Him must take priority over any other person or matter. And this truth is indeed, a strong meat in the passages of the Scripture, which can only be chewed and digested as you grow strong spiritual teeth or radically mature in faith. 

Beloved in Christ, there are many competing loyalties that we should deliberately give up to please Christ, especially when He speaks, and you must be determined to do so. The devout Christ-minded Christian knows that at the end of the day, only one true love matters: His loyal commitment to Christ and a love for Him which takes the first place, before anything else in this world. And guess what it will result in! In the long run, that commitment will not only make your life a wonder on earth, as well as upgrade it forever, it will also exert a lasting impact in the world around you and even the generations to come.

In my conclusive statement, I want to remind you of 2nd Corinthians 5:15 where apostle Paul stated that Christ died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them (NLT).

Beloved, you must gain the understanding that living for the Lord Jesus Christ is not just a commitment of a few hours of your time or a few pounds and dollars from your pay check; it requires all of you - and I mean all that you are, which implies giving up your life for Him, and you will find a full and abundant life that will last forever. So it's either you're fully in or you're not. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35-36; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25-26; Acts 20:24.

Exuberant Declaration:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Therefore I'm thoroughly furnished, constantly trained and totally committed to living for the Kingdom of light: walking in righteousness, and enjoying the benefits of salvation such as perpetual health, wholeness, victory, prosperity and supreme blessings. Hallelujah!

HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY, MAN OF GOD. GOD BLESS YOU RICHLY!