We all receive messages every day. From commercials on television or radio, to friends and their take on issues and their outlook for the day. We start the day, maybe with a check of the weather, or a little ache or pain that can shift our thoughts away from making the best of our day. We sometimes allow an outside factor to determine where our mindset will go. We arrive at work and if someone else had a bad evening or trip in to work, they can sneeze their attitude onto us. The choice is ours, whether or not to give someone or something else control over our mental determination for the day. We can listen to the ads, conversations and buy into them or we can choose to walk away and not let them affect us, or to steal our joy and peace.
Sometimes those messages are worth listening to. Maybe a friend, with care and concern, comes to talk to us about what they see going on in our life and asks how we're doing. Maybe we are having a bad day and a song on the radio or a positive meme on Facebook helps us to make an honest assessment about where we are truly at. Or things in our life are not what they should or could be. A relationship with a coworker, friend or spouse is strained and we need to correct our attitude and ask for forgiveness. Or maybe both parties are at fault, but we need to make the first step at reconciliation. Sitting in the row at church, the pastor says something that pricks our heart, but we sit there and try to justify a behavior. The radio station in the car lands on a preacher that says just what you needed to hear at the moment, but you still are not ready to make a move. With a little pride in our hearts, we can push away any thoughts about the need for that thing, that temptation, action or attitude to change when we don't want to.
In Luke 18, we meet a man who had heard a message of salvation. He comes to Jesus and asks “What can I do, to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him that he must keep the commandments and the rich ruler replies “I have kept all of these since my youth.” Jesus replies to him that he should go and sell everything he has and give it to the poor and then come back and follow Him. The next verse describes that when the man heard this, that he became very sad, sorrowful and even distressed. He apparently was wrestling with what Jesus had just told him. He had been a good boy, followed all of the rules. But in all of his doing, he still couldn’t measure up to God’s standard. At this the man went away. The Bible never gives the man’s name and it never describes him coming back to follow Jesus. I’d like to think that he did at some point, but only God knows.
I wonder how many of us have heard a clear message from God and yet we still walked away. A moment in time when a bell rang, a lightbulb came on, but we stuffed those thoughts back down into a corner and tried not to think about them. Maybe it was a call to repentance, or for a deeper commitment to Christ. What if a man of God spoke a message and you knew he was speaking to you, but you let it slide, walked away unchanged. Maybe God in His Graciousness blessed your life in such a way and you wanted to promise to do better and follow Him. But the more you thought about it, the more fear crept in and you just couldn’t back up those thoughts you had previously.
I have found in my life, that saying no when God is speaking to me is not a great idea. Whether it was Pride or Fear that kept me from acting upon what He had clearly said to me, it was wrong. There are many lessons that I have had to repeat, just like being held back a grade in school, when if I had responded correctly, I would not have had to repeat them so many times. You see, God wants us to respond immediately to what He asks of us. But we do not always want to do this. Yes, He will be gracious and merciful, but at some point, we must say yes to His calling. To do the thing that we know He has said we should do. Whether that is coming to Him for Salvation from our sins, or coming and confessing that we have strayed from Him as His children. Whether it was a clear call to repent and turn from a certain sin struggle or to follow Him with our whole heart. To step out in Faith and accept His calling on our life to be in the mission field or to serve in some other way. Whatever it may be, God is calling. Please do not walk away as the rich ruler did, unchanged and saddened by what He has asked of you. It is truly not worth it. He loves you and has the best plan for your life. Even better than what you can imagine for yourself. Come and Follow Him. You will never regret it!
Sometimes those messages are worth listening to. Maybe a friend, with care and concern, comes to talk to us about what they see going on in our life and asks how we're doing. Maybe we are having a bad day and a song on the radio or a positive meme on Facebook helps us to make an honest assessment about where we are truly at. Or things in our life are not what they should or could be. A relationship with a coworker, friend or spouse is strained and we need to correct our attitude and ask for forgiveness. Or maybe both parties are at fault, but we need to make the first step at reconciliation. Sitting in the row at church, the pastor says something that pricks our heart, but we sit there and try to justify a behavior. The radio station in the car lands on a preacher that says just what you needed to hear at the moment, but you still are not ready to make a move. With a little pride in our hearts, we can push away any thoughts about the need for that thing, that temptation, action or attitude to change when we don't want to.
In Luke 18, we meet a man who had heard a message of salvation. He comes to Jesus and asks “What can I do, to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him that he must keep the commandments and the rich ruler replies “I have kept all of these since my youth.” Jesus replies to him that he should go and sell everything he has and give it to the poor and then come back and follow Him. The next verse describes that when the man heard this, that he became very sad, sorrowful and even distressed. He apparently was wrestling with what Jesus had just told him. He had been a good boy, followed all of the rules. But in all of his doing, he still couldn’t measure up to God’s standard. At this the man went away. The Bible never gives the man’s name and it never describes him coming back to follow Jesus. I’d like to think that he did at some point, but only God knows.
I wonder how many of us have heard a clear message from God and yet we still walked away. A moment in time when a bell rang, a lightbulb came on, but we stuffed those thoughts back down into a corner and tried not to think about them. Maybe it was a call to repentance, or for a deeper commitment to Christ. What if a man of God spoke a message and you knew he was speaking to you, but you let it slide, walked away unchanged. Maybe God in His Graciousness blessed your life in such a way and you wanted to promise to do better and follow Him. But the more you thought about it, the more fear crept in and you just couldn’t back up those thoughts you had previously.
I have found in my life, that saying no when God is speaking to me is not a great idea. Whether it was Pride or Fear that kept me from acting upon what He had clearly said to me, it was wrong. There are many lessons that I have had to repeat, just like being held back a grade in school, when if I had responded correctly, I would not have had to repeat them so many times. You see, God wants us to respond immediately to what He asks of us. But we do not always want to do this. Yes, He will be gracious and merciful, but at some point, we must say yes to His calling. To do the thing that we know He has said we should do. Whether that is coming to Him for Salvation from our sins, or coming and confessing that we have strayed from Him as His children. Whether it was a clear call to repent and turn from a certain sin struggle or to follow Him with our whole heart. To step out in Faith and accept His calling on our life to be in the mission field or to serve in some other way. Whatever it may be, God is calling. Please do not walk away as the rich ruler did, unchanged and saddened by what He has asked of you. It is truly not worth it. He loves you and has the best plan for your life. Even better than what you can imagine for yourself. Come and Follow Him. You will never regret it!
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