Friday, September 27, 2013

Living With A Divided Heart

My Utmost For His Highest
 
Luke 9:57-62  ‘As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”’
 
“And the strictness of the rejection that He demands of me allows for nothing to remain in my life but my Lord, myself, and a sense of desperate hope. He says that I must let everyone else come or go, and that I must be guided solely by my relationship to Him. […] We put our sense of loyalty to our relatives ahead of our loyalty to Jesus Christ, forcing Him to take last place. When your loyalties conflict, always obey Jesus Christ whatever the cost. […] The exacting call of Jesus has no room for good-byes; good-byes, as we often use them, are pagan, not Christian, because they divert us from the call. Once the call of God comes to you, start going and never stop.” CHAMBERS
 
Living the Christian life with a divided heart is not acceptable to God.  The Bible, in reference to the love of God and money says you will love (or choose) one and hate (or reject) the other.  Any guesses about which one people  will most often choose but convince themselves they really love the one they rejected?   Compared to our love for God, nothing else matters.  What do you think Matthew 22:37-38 means .. to love God with every everything that is in you?  Is there room for anything else?  But when you do you will love others … Life starts and ends with complete devotion to God. Everything else .. that is good .. springs from our love for God .. Matthew 22:39  … love others.
 
The problem is divided loyalties … What is it that you think you must do before you follow Jesus?  Lay it down at the cross …
 
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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