Be all that you can be for Christ. Sounds like an advertisement for a sports drink, or a nation trying to get young men to sign up for military duty, doesn’t it?
Who exactly determines how much we serve the Lord, is that our decision or is it God’s, has He said to us as He did to the mighty sea, “And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?” (Job 38:11) Or are we in control of the amount of ourselves that we will dedicate to Him? Do we have an unlimited measure of faith, or does the Lord determine that we will only trust Him so much, whose path are we on, ours or His?
If the Almighty does not show us the truth about Himself, we will never find it, that is a guarantee, we may search the Scriptures every day, all day for the rest of our lives, and if He decides to hide certain things from us, they will not be found. So, what is it that He has decided to reveal to us, and why are there so many interpretations by so many people about particular verses in the Scriptures, who has been shown the truth, and who is being deceived?
You may take for instance here Acts 2:38, a favorite among many who do not only not see it as a work, but as a requirement to salvation. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” With those who hold fast to this verse, when a lengthy conversation finally begins to come to a close with them, “Better safe than sorry” is usually the last words that pass their lips.
Celebrating the Lord’s Supper, or Communion as some prefer to call it, is another debatable point with many. “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:25) Each week, every third Sunday, once a year, who has been shown truth, and who is being deceived?
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7) And John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I have shown these Scriptures verses to many who deny that Jesus Christ is Lord, and most generally that is where the conversation ends with those who repeat, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” (Deut. 6:4)
How can we be all the Lord wants us to be unless we are obedient to His will and Word, and how can we be obedient if we are not blessed by Him with the truth of who He is, and how can He reveal Himself to those who do not want to go a little further with Him, much less be a part of the fellowship of His suffering, who makes the decision on how much we will obey God, us or Him?
You can desire your entire life for a Ferrari, but if you don’t have enough money for one, unless you steal it, you are never going to own that car. How much of a fervent desire, an entire heart must we have for the Lord before He blesses us with the wisdom necessary to understand His dark sayings, (Prov. 1:6) to see plainly the oracles of God. How much is us and how much is the Lord?
Pious living won’t do it, He can see right through that, trying to be humble is an inverse statement in itself, either we are humble, or we are not, attempting to show love can only be done when our first love is for the Lord, yet even the ability to love comes from Him. Perhaps the more of Himself that He reveals to us, if we are receptive to the will of the Holy Spirit, the closer we will grow in our relationship to the Lord Jesus. Simply some statements and questions to contemplate, and perhaps that contemplation is in itself one of the steps.
