A NEW LIFE TOTALLY COMMITTED TO THE LORD

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 
(Matthew 5:43)

MEDITATION:
The Lord has high expectations of those who claim to be His followers.
Some of the things He wants us to do probably seem unreasonable 
(and unattainable) from a worldly viewpoint, and that’s understandable 
since worldly people do not have a relationship with the Lord.
But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we have the power to do the illogical.

We could look at many of His expectations, 
but for now let’s focus on just one.
God tells us to go in the opposite direction 
of our natural instincts and the opinions of worldly people. 
Instead of hating our enemies, He tells us to love them and pray for them.
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that 
you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on 
the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 
(Matthew 5:44-45)

Why would God ask Christians to do that?
For one thing, He wants us to stand out as believers, but more importantly, 
He probably wants to help us evaluate the depth and sincerity of our faith.
I think we can all agree that many people who profess to be Christians,
have decided to create a list of the commands from God they will try to obey,
and they have opted to ignore the other ones.

I believe that God wants us to know how committed we are to Him.
If we do no more than the people who do not have a relationship with Him, 
then what have we proven to God, to ourselves, and to others about our faith?
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even 
the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, 
what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 
(Matthew 5:46-47)

But when we stretch our faith to meet God’s commands, 
it strengthens our relationship with Him and gives us 
confidence that we can obey more of His commands.

In addition, we communicate to lost souls that our faith is real, 
and we are committed to following the Lord.
Our actions, attitudes, commitment, and sincerity can often serve more 
as a witness of our faith, than the many words we may use to try 
and convince others we are adopted children of our Heavenly Father.

ACTION:
If you claim to be a Christian, how are you handling the Lord’s expectations?
Have you treated His commands as a smorgasbord where you can select only 
the ones you want to obey, and ignore the other (and more difficult) ones?
We cannot expect to mature as believers and grow in our relationship 
with God until we have committed to obeying all of His commands 
(including the ones which take us out of our comfort zone).

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me if I have ignored any of Your commands. 
Help me to understand Your expectations and to strive to obey all of 
Your commands. I realize that it will probably require changes in my 
attitude, words, and actions, but I know I can do what is necessary with 
the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank You in advance for helping me to 
‘put on my new self’ which is ‘created to be like You in righteousness 
and holiness’.”

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