Matthew 16:24-27 – “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”  NASU

Continuing with the thought of last time I have a question.  ARE YOU COMMITTED?  I realize that this may make some nervous, and without apology, I ask the question, because I believe it is at the heart of the Message of Jesus and is Truth.  Are you committed in your finances, attitudes, and actions?  Are you willing to DO WHATEVER the Lord asks you to do?  Are you willing to BE WHATEVER He wants you to be?  Are you willing to GO WHEREVER He wants you to go?  Are you Committed?  Is He truly and demonstrably Number One in your life?  The key word is COMMITMENT and it is one of the most noticeable missing messages of today.

Preachers tell us repeatedly WHO Jesus is and WHO we are or can be in Him.  Yet, that knowledge is of little significance without COMMITMENT.  There is no cheap grace in God.  Yes, it is totally free, completely unearned, and unmerited but IT IS NEVER CHEAP.  He has not called you to be a nice, church-going, Sunday School teacher, choir member, deacon, elder, or singer.  He has called you to be a COMMITTED DISCIPLE.  (Matthew 6:33).  He is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.  We are instructed that we are to be doers of the Word, not hearers only, so DOING what Jesus would do is at the core of our Christian Life.  I do not mean willpower and suicidal self-sacrifice, I mean allowing Him to LIVE HIS LIFE in and through us.  That requires cooperation and commitment.  You still have the ability to choose but your choice is HIM and HIS WILL.  Being a Christian and a Disciple is living out life as Jesus would, regardless of how difficult maintaining that commitment might be.  It is allowing Jesus to live IN and THROUGH us.  There is a vast difference between trying to live for god and allowing Jesus to live His life through us.

JESUS WANTS TO COME INTO OUR LIVES AND HELP US LIVE OUT HIS WILL IN OUR DAILY LIVES…

Let me make it clear that the Lord does not come and ask us to DO what He would do, He offers to COME INTO and ENABLE us to do whatever He wants.  That requires Commitment.

I don’t know how many reading this are old enough or have read the account of miler Roger Bannister, the first man to run the mile in less than four minutes but there is a great message in his story.  On one occasion, he pulled away from the pack and the crowd went wild.  He continued to pick up the pace and everyone knew that it would be a sub-four-minute mile.  When he crossed the finish line, the crowd exploded and while they were screaming in jubilation Roger Bannister was collapsing in exhaustion.  The point I want to convey is that in order to perform that feat which Bannister accomplished he had to have both ABILITY and WILL.  It required incredible COMMITMENT.  It is the same in living for and through the Lord.  We lack both the ability and will within ourselves but THE GOOD NEWS is that when we open our hearts and allow Jesus to come in and possess us HE ENABLE US and the life we live in the flesh is His life coming forth.  Remember Philippians 2:13, “For it is God which works in you both to will and do of His good pleasure.”

We must become COMMITTED to Jesus, not simply believe in His existence.  We need to say to the Lord, “Lord, I want you to come into my life and possess me, enabling me to do what I could never do on my own; to will what I could never will before; to live as I could never live in my own strength.”  THE GOOD NEWS is that when that happens, Jesus comes in and possess us and His Joy floods our hearts.  As you know His Joy, you know Joy like you have never known and could never know aside from Him.  It is Life Changing!

I need to track this truth a bit further so I will pause for now and pick this up in the next devotional.  Until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you and guard you in all things and always.