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For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians
2.10
I
believe many Christians have confused constant rehearsals with
the real thing. They attend church and Sunday school on a
regular basis, ever studying and getting ready to serve the
lord. They don’t realize that church and Sunday school are
only the means to ready their heart for discipleship. After all
their study, planning and prayer about what they will do when
confronted with an opportunity to share what God has done in
their life, they fail when the opportunity arises out of fear of
what others will think or they put self in front of Gods will,
maybe they should read the parable of the rich fool in Luke
12. In truth they are more afraid of offending someone than
they are of being obedient to God.
When
an opportunity to be a servant as Christ was, or to be the
‘good Samaritan” when they see someone in need they put
themselves first by refusing to offer assistance or to give a
small portion of what God has given them. Their time and talent
have become something they hoard selfishly. It is spent mostly
on self-satisfaction; a Barna
survey shows Christians spend seven times
as much time on entertainment as they do on spiritual
activities.
Over
the years I have heard every excuse available for not being able
to be a servant, some I even used myself. Once the pain of
realizing I was failing to serve God, as he desired I had no
more excuses. I have been a “no show” at several mission
projects I had said I would be on. Two due to incapacitating
injury and one because I had never prayed about Gods will
towards my involvement.
When
I hear excuses I think of some of the “what ifs” in the
Bible;
What
if Abraham had not taken Isaac up the hill?
What
if Noah had not built the ark?
What
if Moses had not led the Israelites out of Egypt?
What
if the disciples had not followed Christ?
What
if Christ had not surrendered to the cross?
Each
of these people could have said “No”; instead they made a
choice to do as God had asked them.
As
for myself, the words of my favorite song say it all,
My
heart, my life, my all I bring To Christ who loves me so;
he
is my Master, Lord, and King, Wherever He leads I'll go.
Remember
true discipleship is when one “Goes” as is given in the
words of Matthew
28. A true walk with Christ will involve not only the
hearing of Gods word, but also putting it in to action James
2
Clyde
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