You can do what you think will please the Lord
or
You can KNOW the will of your Father for every moment of the day and then move in it- just like Jesus did. Total reliance on the Holy Spirit.
Which way do you live your life?
#1. I feel tempted to do things in my own strength constantly. I act on my own ideas and make decisions based on how I’m feeling at the moment. I move to my own whim, do what I like to do and go where I want to go. But what is my reward? The reward of living that way is based on my own human limitation. I gave myself my own reward. The reward was doing whatever I wanted to do. That’s it. I didn’t cause anything great to happen. I didn’t change the atmosphere around me for the better. I wasn’t able to affect things on a spiritual level or even lead people to Jesus. I only accomplished what I set out to do.
#2. Contrarily, if I’m a Christian, and I really want to be like Jesus, I have to do what Jesus did and live like Jesus lived. Jesus said that He ONLY did the will of His Father (John 5:19), so I do too. I listen for the Holy Spirit to give me instruction and direction in my day to day activities. I yield my spirit to the Holy Spirit’s prompts. I walk in faith and know that whatever God has called me to do today, He will provide the strength, courage and resources for it to be accomplished perfectly.
Ask yourself; are you a 1 or 2?
If you chose #1, why are you holding back areas of your life from God as a Christian? You may wonder: why does it feel so foreign to live moment by moment, consulting God for my every move? Could it be because it doesn’t come naturally? Could it be because we can’t do it on our own? Could it be because we don’t want to give up the control of making our own decisions?
Jesus gives us a choice to follow Him or not. He doesn’t require anything from us. There are only two commandments that He calls us to do in order for us to be called, “Christians.”
“Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22: 37-40 (NIV)
Jesus went on to say, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” – John 14:21 (NIV)
To put it simply; God only gave us two commandments. 1. Love God and 2. Love people. He says that if you love Him, you will obey his commandments. He also wants all of your heart, not just pieces. Jesus gave all of Himself for you. He paid the highest price for your life and salvation. He wants you to come to Him with the same intensity of love that He comes to you in. That’s why the first commandment states to love God with all of your heart, soul and mind. This is the basic requirement we have as a Christian. It’s not unfair and it’s not out of line. It’s simple. It’s relationship with our Creator, without holding anything back. In light of what Jesus did for us, this is all we must do? God is so Good!
Jesus says this to the apostles; “when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty” – Luke 17:10 NIV
We don’t have the right to complain about what God is asking us to do. We can never pay God back for what He has done for us- nor does He expect us to. Now that we have a right relationship with God He only calls us to have two things:
Newness of life and relationship with Him.
Is your life (which is your testimony) lacking in either of these areas? I urge you to no longer hold yourself back from pursuing God whole-heartedly. Jesus says that if you love God, you will listen to Him. The opposite is also true. We demonstrate our love through our actions towards God. Just like Jesus demonstrated His love towards us in everything that He did in His life. Are you showing God how much you love Him?
I pray so. Please pray and ponder this and ask God to remove the things that are holding you back from Him.
Take Care. In love, Allison
Lifted Vision Ministry 