Paul urges believers to be living sacrifices, Romans 12:1-2. What does that mean exactly? It means that being a Christian is a lifestyle choice. It affects who we marry, what work we do, the friends we have, what we choose to do with our time. It means that being a Christian affects our day to day choices and decisions.
It’s no good being a Sunday Christian and thinking you can do what you like the rest of the week. That means nothing to God. That is not commitment. That is not letting Christ rule your life. These are the type of people who Jesus said call him ‘Lord, Lord’ but don’t obey His commands, Luke 6:46.
Often we know what those command are, but we try and rationalize and make excuses about why we don’t want to keep them, because it is hard or it doesn’t agree with what we want to do. Deep down we know it’s really that old conflict of the human nature wanting to do one thing rather than doing what God says.
It’s that sort of thinking that sees Christians become involved in relationships with unbelievers or with those who hold to a vastly different belief system. We get those niggling feelings that what we are doing is not right and is going against God’s commands. That’s God’s spirit trying to warn us. But we often choose to ignore those warnings because it doesn’t suit us.
Easter brought it home to me again just how vital it is to be able to go to church as a couple, to know you share the same core beliefs and lifestyle choice. Because it is a choice. God could force us to follow His Will. He doesn’t.
He wants us to choose to do it because we love Him. Jesus said those who love Him obey his commands, John 14:21.
The bible is clear I when it says those who love Him obey His commands. Those who claim to be His and do not obey, are liars, 1 John 2:4.
The first of the commandments and also the greatest commandment as Jesus gave it is to love God with all our hearts and minds etc, Deuteronomy 6:5-6. We show our love for God by keeping His commands, 1 John 5:3.
So let me ask each of you, as I ask myself, are you obeying His commands?
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