Excellent Service for an Excellent Call
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"what do you more than others..." (Matthew 5:47) It is an easy trap to unawarely conform to the common standards set by the world around us. The generally accepted standards shield the core of our natural, fleshly life. They seek not to offend or push the line of our comfort zone too far and attempt to persuade us to avoid radical decisions. It is easy to hide in the crowd, even in the comfort of a multitude within the church, to avoid relating to God personally and to evade responsibility for our choices or actions. We can quickly discover that we are conformed to a natural life, along with many others who surround us within the church gathering This is why the Lord calls us by name and wants to meet with us in the intimacy of our secret chamber, within the world of our thoughts, aspirations and desires, where we cannot hide our natural lives within the comfort of the multitude. We become disciples only when we are willing to stand alone in front of God and accept His precepts and standards, even if this means standing against all accepted norms and living “outside the camp”. The tremendous privilege of belonging to God's people comes with an equally tremendous responsibility. We were set aside to serve for His glory. Our righteousness has to exceed the righteousness of man-made religion and our service needs to aim at more than the fulfillment of empty rituals. We are called to do more than others. We are called to live a life of excellency in loving and serving the Lord, be the first to love and do good to all people, sacrifice, forgive, pray, bless and surrender in spite of and especially under adverse circumstances. The provocation of our Lord stands for us today. To what extent are we willing to do more than others? To what extent are we willing to stand out from the crowd and be set apart for the Lord so that He becomes real and visible to others? To what extent are we bold enough to seek, ask and act for the furthering of God's kingdom? It is in as much that we are willing to do more than others that the life of Christ will be manifested in us, shining bright in the confusion and darkness of this world. We are a peculiar people called to live by God's perfect standards. Let our lives be lived in such a manner that others will see in us the royal mark of our heavenly Father. |