How often do you leave the comfort of your home and head out into the community? Oh, I don’t know, maybe to the grocery store, the gas station, or a walk around the Luverne Loop and hopefully to church. I’d guess most of us find ourselves going to at least one of those places.
As for me, I’m looking a bit more into the future for that amazing day when I leave this world and go to a much better place. A place to spend eternity. And when I arrive, I pray I hear the words come from our Savior’s mouth, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You may enter my kingdom.”
Anybody else, or is it just me who is looking forward to that day? But, what happens if we are face to face with the Savior, as he looks over our shoulder and asks, “Who else did you bring with you?”
“Who did you share the gospel message with?”
“Who did you love the way that I love you?”
“Who have you forgiven the way I have forgiven you?”
How will you answer?
I feel like so many of us read the Bible and then immediately forget or maybe even choose to forget what we read because we don’t like what it says. Some may even require action on our part. I believe too many people in our world today pick the scriptures we like because they are easy to apply in our lives. Like when we say, “I’ll pray for you in your time of need.” Sure, God wants us to pray for others. But we can’t choose only the scriptures we want to apply in our lives.
Jesus says this in John 14:21: “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
Notice he doesn’t say most of them or some of them or the easy ones. We must take all the teachings of the Bible and apply them to our lives. Taking every word and allow it to “transform” us. But to be “transformed” means that we have to trust God with our entire lives. Not just the parts we choose to give to him or the scripture we choose to follow or what scriptures to live by.
The scriptures tell us to share the gospel: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
The scriptures tell us to forgive others: “But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:15
The scriptures tell us to love each other: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John 13:34
So, when God looks over your shoulder and asks who you shared his gospel with or who you loved with the love of Christ, or who have you truly forgiven without exception, I pray you are ready with the answer. Apply the words of the Bible to your life today.
