Costly Christianity

So many teachers and pastors today talk about grace and salvation like they are  a gift that we receive and ignore. We put it on our shelf for that day when we will need it, like a useless gift given to us that we feel like we cannot toss but have no use for. We keep it for that day when we might need it, but until then, we forget that it even exists. Is that the grace Jesus taught? (Matt. 19:21, Matt. 13:46, Luke 9:23)

No. It is not. Jesus taught that we have to follow, we must give up our flesh and its evil. (Romans 6) If we want God's forgiveness but do not wish to actually follow God, it is of no use to us. It is like starting to make a meal and quitting. Thawing chicken, peeling potatoes, and heating the oven may be half of making a meal, but, in ending there is less useful than not starting at all. If we only do those steps we end up with putrid chicken, hard potatoes, and an oven that is heating for no reason at all. We must continue, we must finish the job. A half finished meal like this does not feed half the people the completed meal would, nor is it only half as filling, it is altogether useless. It smells and is worse than not starting with the preparations at all.

So what then? Am I saying that people who  accept His forgiveness but deny His leadership are not His disciples? Actually, that is exactly what I'm saying. Jesus bluntly told us that this is how it is. (Luke 14:27) We cannot tell people that God will forgive you if you ask and that He requires nothing in return. For that is untrue, God requires everything in your being in return. We must give God everything, we must realize that nothing that we have is ours; not our time, money, intelligence, or even our family. We must give it all back to Him. He allows us to use it. We are to recognize His absolute reign in our lives.

Conclusion

So is this task easy? No. Is it something we conquer quickly? Not at all. Even the Apostle Paul said this about his life.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:12)


May we also do the same.