Yesterday I wrote about some goals for the upcoming year. In summary I mentioned that I was going to:
- Say a prayer for our country at 7 p.m. each day
- Witness to at least one person per week
- Disciple at least one person per week for an hour
- Try and help someone at least one time per week
- Try to do something and improve our nation/world at least one time a week
Judging from the response that I received one would think I was taking on a fulltime job working 18 hours per day.
Huh?
I mean how much time would any of the above take out of an entire week???
3-4 hours maybe?
I also received another letter and this person talked about their “calling” not encompassing all of the above and that they wanted to focus on their calling.
I cannot address anyone’s “calling”, I’m just making an observation that my study indicates that in a typical day in the life of Jesus He did the above. He was perfect in every way and the closer we can come to emulating Him the more blessed we will be.
Consider if your “calling” is visiting the elderly. Does it not stand to reason that prayer would enhance your ministry? Don’t you think you will have ample opportunity to occasionally witness and disciple some of the folks you are visiting? Would the example you set possibly be seen by others and that just might encourage them to follow your lead and thus begin to change our nation for the better one person at a time?
So often folks choose the wealthy, famous, powerful, and those quarterbacks who have attained great achievements such as winning a Heisman trophy or National Championship as their role models and try to emulate them. Ughhh!
Jesus Christ accomplished more in His short life than the rest of the world combined. Why even our calendar reflects life before Christ, (B.C.) and after He was born, (A.D.)
Jesus is GOD and we should study every moment of the short time that He spent on earth and learn from it and try to imitate it. The closer we can come to living the life that He lived the happier and more blessed we will be. The Bible states that apart from God there can be no joy or peace. I’ve found that to be the case in my own life. Nothing physical can give it to you; nothing the world has to offer will last, (And I’ve tried most of it). Conversely I tried Jesus and found what had been missing in my life.
There is a song entitled “I have decided to follow Jesus” by S. Sundar Singh; the lyrics are in part:
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
Though none go with me, still I will follow
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.”
I’ve studied the life of Jesus for over 40 years now and I am more convinced than ever that I will never attain the perfection demonstrated in His life. Some might wonder and ask aloud:
“Well then what’s the use?”
The Lord’s Prayer as prayed by Jesus to the Father states: “Let Your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven”.
I believe that God’s kingdom is wherever God is present and that He rules. That means that God’s kingdom is in Christians on earth. The relevance of that is that it enables us to enjoy God’s peace, strength, faith, hope, and love especially as we face this sometimes difficult life. As we deepen our commitment to Jesus Christ, and become filled with the Holy Spirit and obedient to His leading through living a life of unswerving faith, His kingdom expands and we enjoy even more of His glory and heavenly realm.
The kingdom is also passed from person to person. Nearly every Christian can point to a person or persons who influenced them in their Christian life. It might have been our parents, pastor, camp meeting, schoolmate, co-worker, or complete stranger.
Because the kingdom of God on earth was defined by a prayer we too should pray. Since it is spread from person to person, it is vitally important for us to be bold and loving in our witness. Knowledge is power so it is important to disciple others concerning what God has done for us, and the difference faith in Christ has made in our lives and how we obtained our peace through following God’s word and teaching. Equally important is the need to back up our words with actions and thereby demonstrate to a cynical, secular world that Christianity works and we’re not all hypocrites.
Have you decided to follow Jesus? Does your life reflect it?
Do as I did and raise the white flag and surrender. I’ve come to understand that surrender is just acknowledging what existed anyway. Our next heartbeat is entirely dependent upon Him, as is everything else in creation including the earth spinning on its axis and the stars moving across His Universe in precise perfection. I don’t own anything and He owns it all as evidenced by our not being allowed to take anything with us when we die. Heck He even owns the air that we breathe and rely upon.
As for me, “I have decided to follow Jesus and there shall be No turning back. I’m believing that He will heal me of my fallen nature and heal our nation and this world and I cannot think of a better use of whatever amount of time I devote to Him; how about you?
Matthew 19:2
. . . and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
January 6, 2015 – Click here to listen