You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am ….I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master… —John 13:13, 16
“To have a master and teacher is not the same thing as being mastered and taught. Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not. “You call Me Teacher and Lord…”— but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as God reveals it in His Word. Our Lord was not simply God’s servant— He was His Son. “…though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience…” (Hebrews 5:8). He [Jesus]wants us in a relationship where He is so easily our Master and Teacher that we have no conscious awareness of it— a relationship where all we know is that we are His to obey.” - My Utmost For His Highest
“When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” There are probably not too many Millennials who would know that hymn. John Stammis, the author, wrote over 100 hymns. I often wonder what the song writer had experienced that was the inspiration for the words he penned. But then, the nature of man does not change from generation to generation, even if we want to believe that it has. If you consider people in the context of their flesh, the cultural and generational accoutrements may morph over the years .. I am typing this on my computer not writing with a quill and ink. As many as 100 people, virtually around the world, will have read these words by the end of the day using computers, laptops, tablets, and even phones … incredible. But the spiritual nature of man has not changed from those who never heard of a computer or the internet and it won’t change in future generations. In every generation, until Jesus returns, there will be sheep and goats. Those who belong to the Creator God and those who belong to the god of this world. And for us sheep, our challenge across the generations is to trust and obey.
[Jesus asked] “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” - Luke 6:46- 49
Our children would sing a song alluding to those verses. “Don’t build your house on the sandy land”. I used to think it had to do with salvation, but it actually has to do with obedience. Think about it. The goats do not call Jesus Lord. I once heard someone say, “If Jesus is not Lord OF all, then He is not Lord AT all.” God demands everything if we want to follow Jesus. No other gods, our whole heart, a living sacrifice, picking up our cross and going where He leads, living by faith, walking with the Spirit. That has not changed since Jesus spoke the words during His ministry and will not change, ever. We spend a lot of effort trying to figure out how to reach each generation ... how to attract them to the Light. God has already implemented a “trans-generational” solution.
“when I [Jesus] am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” - John 12:32
Having trouble with obedience? We all do to some extent. Walk with the Lord in the light of His word ... what a glory He sheds on our way! I have a friend from California, George, who served with us in Mississippi. As we worked together, I would often say, "So, what do you think George?" His response was always the same. "Jesus saves!" You think I would have learned - but I never tired of hearing it!
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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