S. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7: 21, NIV)
O. In many ways this verse calls me to reflect on my life and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just because I am a pastor or just because I do the right things does not mean that I will enter the kingdom of Heaven. The only thing that makes that possible is my acceptance of the forgiveness of my sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. My eternal security is not based on my good works or position, but upon my statement of faith in Jesus Christ. I have been teaching and preaching the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for many years. I must have a real and honest relationship with Jesus myself and so must every person. It is up to me to pursue this relationship, to place my life under God's direction and control. This will allow God's will to be done and not my own…it is all about surrender of my life to Jesus…it just keeps coming back to living a surrendered life.
A. Today, I live for you, Jesus. Today, I offer my life to be used for your glory! Today, I chose to make you Lord of my life.
P. "Lord, I give you my heart today and ask that you mold me and make me what you want me to be. May I not pursue my goals and agenda today but yours. May my life reflect all of who you are today. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen."
I agree with Greg's statement that we should pursue a relationship with God. It reminded me of something I heard in our Sunday school lesson this week from Andy Stanley. His study is on the 10 Commandments. He pointed out that in Exodus 20 God gives the list of commandments in verse 3. But in verse 1 and 2 God says I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF EGYPT.
ReplyDeleteAndy Stanley pointed out that before God issued a single commandment He reminded them that He was THEIR God. They were in a relationship and that's WHY He was giving them rules.
God's commands are not a condition of a relationship with Him, they are evidence of one.
I thought that was profound. Unfortunately many nonChristians get this backward and instead think they must follow rules before they are acceptable to have a relationship with God. His statement challenged me to live in such a way so that people see that I have a personal relationship with God. And just maybe want it for themselves.