Michael continues: There are many “causes” that people follow in the world. What is the cost of following your cause? Following the causes of God as Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all and His holy Word, following Jesus Christ as Lord of all - His teachings and commands for living godly lives, following the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit through life, or following the causes of secular personal feelings, self-indulgence, personal pleasure, private gain or the causes of the unbelieving world. The Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”
Later in Matthew 22:36-40 a Pharisee asked Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” They were talking about the commandments of the Almighty sovereign God, the Supreme Being who sits on the throne in Heaven reigning and ruling over all creation.
A daily walk of living in the fallen Sin-nature with us on the throne of our life is the easy way. The greatest response to Lord God Almighty is the response to the most difficult challenge. Do you love a “good” challenge? (pun intended). Jesus Christ challenged the multitude that followed Him around with godliness, holiness and righteousness. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus stated, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Who do you truly serve?
The rich young ruler approached Jesus in Matthew 19 and said, “Good master, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?” For he knew that something was missing in his life. Jesus quoted the last six of the Ten Commandments regarding “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Jesus (God the Son) knew what was in the heart of all men and women. The young man said, these commandments I have kept since my youth. Then Jesus looked upon him with love and said, “then you need to sell all of your material possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and come follow me.” The young ruler went away sorrowful because he had great wealth and could not bear losing his wealth. The problem was that the young man served the wrong god. He had broken the first of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” His wealth was his God and master he obeyed for personal gain. The first of the Beatitudes says, blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall inherit the earth. God cannot fill us unless we get off our self-serving throne and come to Him with empty hands.
Christianity is not a part-time job. The key to living “life more abundantly” as our Good Shepherd Jesus proclaimed, is to live for the heavenly cause to which He called us: that we would glorify Him in everything by living to the praise of the glory of His grace. If we worship the things of this world (for example: the people, worldly wealth and possessions, or the praise and accolades of others, to name a few), then we have the wrong god. The first of the Ten Commandments says in the Aramaic text, thou shalt have no other gods between your face and my face. Why? Because when we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, we see Him without obstruction and align our walk with His holy Word, Will and Way in love. This is the first and great commandment.
Jesus Christ is the one who died for the sins of the world and reconciles. He is the one who breaks down the middle walls of partition between our hearts and God’s heart, so that we can be reconciled together in fellowship with God and with others in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. That in having prepared our hearts to live for the cause of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, we will love God above all in the unity of the Spirit, that we may forever live to the praise of the glory of God’s grace.
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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