Unhindered

The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with astonishing discomfort. We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations – it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us.

                        One-Minute Meditations

Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. We are not born with a heart for Jesus Christ. We are born with a heart only for ourselves. We want what we want, and we want it when we want it.

We tend to compare our benevolent actions to what is acceptable or expected from our community. God uses a different standard. We tend to give or serve to alleviate a sense of guilt. Christ just calls us to give and serve, sometimes out of love, other times just because, and yet other times with no discernible reason other than it is what He calls us to do.

The call of Christ comes upon us at the most inconvenient times and in the most inconvenient places. We are in a rush and a person who needs a meal seems to come out of nowhere. We are headed home after a busy day and someone, maybe even a close friend, is in need of our ears to hear, our shoulder to rest upon, and our arms to hold them.

If we find ourselves comfortable in the Christian walk we may need to listen more closely to some of God’s more challenging passages from His Word.  We tend to pass off Jesus’ command to the rich young ruler to “Go, sell everything you have, give it all to the poor, and come and follow Me” as intended for that young man alone. We fail to hear the call of Christ that we should live more simply, that we are the ones who should set aside much of what we have in order that we might give to others. Instead, we wait for our fun to be exhausted and end up giving what is left of our time, strength, and goods.

It is a fearsome thing to tell God that he can have “His unhindered way with us!”

Pastor Craig