Jesus lived a simple life of love, trust, and obedience on this earth. His allegiance was to his Father and our allegiance should be to him. Simple… but is it easy?
“I studied the teachings of Jesus in University. Sometimes I thought his words were so beautiful that I cried. I thought, ‘If there is a God full of love and power, surely these things Jesus said are true.’” This was the comment of a Jewish school teacher Susan and I met at a cookout on Mt. Carmel. “His words are true,” I said. “Maybe,” she replied,”but it is impossible to live according to them.” I thought a moment, then answered, “I agree… unless He lives in you… and that is what He promises to do.”
The conversation did not go much further, but I was reminded that Jesus’ words force us to surrender to him, asking him to take over our lives. “With God, all things are possible,”… without God, we have no hope. The beautiful words my Jewish friend talked about were from the Sermon on the Mount. There she also found the impossible ones: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad!” “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” “Do not worry about tomorrow.” “Do not judge.” “Enter through the narrow gate.” “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.”
I am convicted as I copy these excerpts… realizing that Jesus calls me foolish if I don’t build my life on the unshakable Rock. “But how, Lord? Your way is not easy!” Paul might have encouraged this way: “Each day I pick up my cross and follow him. His way is not easy, but He is my Lord and I love him… and I want to know him better. Truthfully, I am dead… but Christ lives in me. His grace is sufficient and I am learning to abide in him.”
Oswald Chambers wrote this (Sept 25 from “My Utmost for His Highest”):
The summing up of our Lord’s teaching is that the relationship which He demands is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us… No enthusiasm will ever stand the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His worker, only one thing will, and that is a personal relationship to Himself which has gone through the mill of His spring cleaning until there is only one purpose left – I am here for God to send me where He will. Every other thing may get fogged, but this relationship to Jesus Christ must never be… The Sermon on the Mount is not an ideal, it is a statement of what will happen to me when Jesus Christ has altered my disposition and put in a disposition like His own. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount… Our Lord’s making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are easy to us naturally; He only asks us to do the things we are perfectly fitted to do by His grace, and the cross will come along that line always.
May Paul’s words also be ours: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20