It is not burdensome duty, but beloved devotion that motivates a believer’s following. This is not the external pressure of the law, but the internal heart change that the Spirit gives. We joyfully choose God’s will until our wills come into alignment, wanting what He wants.
A truism for the family, the church and the nation. It starts with the parent who thinks their child’s sin is cute. It won’t be when its full-grown. This “winking at wrong” problem starts in the home and has spread to our culture. Parents, boldly reprove sin in your child!
Great leaders are learners, they know when to ask for advice. But fools think they can do everything themselves. Do you have a mentor? Someone speaking into your life? Start listening more, talking less. As my mother used to say,”Stop talking just to hear your head rattle!”
I wonder how many have turned Jesus away because they were afraid of the changes He would make in their lives? If they would have invited Him to stay, there would have been another chapter in the Gospel of Mark. Instead, just this… He got back in the boat and left them.
Listening precedes understanding. Jesus taught this maxim after speaking in parables that some didn’t get. Our ADD culture offers no help here. We must learn the habit of listening to God’s Word. It is a spiritual discipline that takes time. The more you listen, the more you understand.
No doubt the shepherd-king had learned this discipline while watching over his father’s flocks. Have you learned the spiritual discipline of silence? God does not shout over the noise of your life. Find a quiet place to read His Word and then… listen.
The problem in our culture today is that no one sees themselves as a sinner, because relativism has done away with the very idea of sin. If there are no absolutes, then everyone is right in their own eyes. Lord, help us to answer and carry Your call to a lost world.
While others avoided even looking at lepers, Jesus touched and healed them. Their rotting flesh too terrible to see or smell, lepers were avoided by all. But Jesus touched them. People didn’t realize that sin had made them all spiritual lepers. And what love it took for the Holy One to touch even them.
What gets inspected doesn’t get neglected. Good leaders know that delegated tasks aren’t complete until inspected. And wise leaders know how to give out a blessing to those who have served well. Leader tip: Inspect and bless.
This is not a new list of “don’ts” to keep. These commands are the description of Kingdom living for those who call Christ, King. They are a like landmarks confirming that you are following the way of the Master. Only those who have died and been reborn in Christ can keep these.