[Jesus said,]“I came down from heaven to do what God wants me to do, not what I want to do. Here is what the One who sent me wants me to do: I must not lose even one whom God gave me, but I must raise them all on the last day. Those who see the Son and believe in him have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day. This is what my Father wants.”    John 6:38-40 (NCV)
I want to look at three definitions before I share what God has been saying to me.
God’s children. Every human is a child of God, whether born or unborn into our time. By that I mean, that once the child is created or conceived by Him, whether they survive to breathe outside their mother does not define whether they are God’s child. Whether they even believe in Him or not does not determine if they are His child.
Body of Believers/Christians. Christians are believers in Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah. The specifics of how someone understands their state apart from God and their need for reconciliation is a HUGE spectrum but Christians believe that Jesus is God-in-the-flesh who came to earth to provide the perfect sacrifice which makes reconciliation with God possible. As a child of God, I was brought up in a home where prayers were said and Jesus was part of my culture. I was sent to a parochial school where I learned many stories about Jesus. I believed He was the Son of God because that’s what I was taught.
Jesus’ Disciples. It took 40+ years for me to accept that God loved me so much that Jesus came to reconcile me and the Father. I needed Jesus. I believe He is real and alive in my life today. Jesus moved from being a character in a story book (Bible) to being God-in-the-flesh who loved me so much that He came to “save†me from a life separate from the Father. (And then I realized that the Bible wasn’t a story book but His inspired Word.) I made the decision in 1995 to live my life following the example of Jesus. I made the decision to study and pray and give up my way of doing things and follow the radical “alien in this world†way of Jesus.
So having put those definitions out there: What Does God Want from Believers? or What Am I to be about in my daily life as a Christian? I think this is a vital question that every person who calls themselves a Christian, proclaims to others that they are Christian, must answer and live out every day.
The answer should bring “holy fear†as well as great peace that I know the “borders†of my life as God’s child, a Believer in Jesus and one of Jesus’ disciples.
My answer is three-fold:
- Love God with all that I am
- Love others as I love myself
- Go and share/teach others about Jesus, wherever, to whomever and however God sends me
If I will do those three things every day of my life, I have a full-time, 24/7 job. I have no time to spend judging others and pointing out the sins of others.
Jesus said, “Why do you criticize and bash others for the “sawdust speck sin†in their eyes and ignore this HUGE “plank sin†(that is un-loving) in your own eye? How can you publicly tell others that you will be glad to point out how they can get clean when you ignore your own need for repentance? You hypocrite! Clean yourself first and then you will be able to see how to truly help another!†Matthew 7:3-5 (my paraphrase and emphasis)
May I seek Jesus every day and listen to His teaching and discipline for my life and then obey. May my life reflect Jesus, not me. I ask that the Holy Spirit pour out wisdom and grace and mercy on me. I am sorry, LORD, for trying to take over Your job and so criticizing others instead of loving them as You said.
Jesus, Lover of My Soul by Darlene Zschech, sung by Hillsong Worship Team
