How much of a choice do you believe you have when it comes to serving Christ, what exactly does the word “Lord” mean to you. Many Christians, and I speak here of those who truly have been born-again, do not truly seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, they seek for themselves, and are only interrupted by thoughts of what they should have done, instead of being cognitive of their surroundings at all times for the opportunities to glorify His name.
Think of your recent past here, how often have you met someone who initiated a conversation about Christ directed toward your walk with Him, when was the last time, and how often has it occurred that you were approached by an individual who by their words asked you to give an account of your faith, (1 Peter 3:15) the reason behind your existence. When was the last time you did so for another brother or sister in Christ, not so that you could check up on them, not so that you could be judgmental or seem contentious, but so only that they would be encouraged in the walk they are now in and seek further growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. If you are like most individuals, and I hope you are not, you keep these conversations in the church, and then only rarely, for the things of the world are always so pressing. We have places to go, people to see and things to do.
If Christ means so much to you, as you say He does, why are you not sharing Him as much as possible with everyone you meet, why do you have so many “I wish I would have” moments. There are indisputable facts present here, and there is no debating these points, either He is not in the forefront of your mind at all times, which means you are not keeping every thought captive for Christ, you are not concerned with the spiritual, eternal welfare of those you meet, so you are not loving your neighbor as yourself, you are afraid, fearful of any possible emotional or physical retribution against yourself, which would mean that His perfect love is not casting out all fear, or you really do not serve Him as Lord, which would mean you are not obedient to His will and Word. There are no other options available.
Our own personal welfare, not keeping our thoughts continuously on Christ, or believing that fulfilling our religious and tradition-based obligations are all that is necessary to call ourselves servants of the Most High is how many think these days. Most all of Christianity is now solely based only within the Christians, and that is not an oxymoronic statement, it is a way of saying that most Christians have for some reason in this age decided to keep Christ in their hearts and rarely if ever share Him with anyone else. The evidence is right before your eyes, especially if you attend church regularly, before and after the sermon His name is not mentioned, the obvious and temporal earthly duties are, the niceties. Standing around in the parking lot catching up on the things of the world instead of seeking the Lord, of questioning those who just heard the same sermon you did about its value to not only their own walk with Christ, but how it can be applied tomorrow.
No, and you did not have that conversation with a lost soul on Thursday either, did you. Perhaps a quick little verse that was relevant to the conversational topic of the moment, but not spiritually based, eternally consequential questions to those lost souls who are rushing headlong toward the abyss. And then you have another opportunity Sunday morning again, then on Wednesday, and then repeat ad Infinium until you finally reach your last day, and all you have to say for yourself is “I wish I would have.”
I can’t help you, and God is not going to force you, but you must be made aware of this, do not expect what you are expecting when you walk into heaven, you will not hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:” (Matt. 25:23) You will have no rewards waiting, their will be no treasure house with your name on it. You did not want to serve here, and the times that you did have the desire to turned out to be nothing more than good intentions with no actions behind them. What are you expecting your welcome to be like with a life lived as such, everyone in heaven rushing up to greet you, the Lord God Himself oh so happy because you did so much for Him, you sacrificed your life for Him? No my friend, you are deceiving yourself if these are your thoughts, we will be known as we are known, saved, but of no real value to the furtherance of spreading of His word, a man of good intentions with no actions to back them up, an individual who made up their own terminology of what the title “Lord” means.
If you are not serving Him here, what makes you believe that your service in the kingdom will be of any value, do you think that He is just going to automatically make you a willing and obedient individual? God does not force these attributes upon any of His children, it is our choice as to how much of our lives we will devote to Him, and the rewards we will reap will be based accordingly.
