Day 2713 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Matthew 7:21 NIV

Are we living as servants to the Kingdom of God or merely as slaves to the court of public opinion? Do we have hearts set on fulfilling God's will, completely forsaking any and all outside influence? Are we willing to face the hatred and stinging rebuke that's sure to come with speaking truth in a world that's built to run on fallacy? Are we truly bold enough to stand upon the Word of God knowing that it likely means we'll have very little company? Are we willing to lay down our lives and cast aside our innate desire for comfort, or are we maybe trying a little too hard to find our way to some middle-ground between faith in Christ and fear of man?

I think that sadly, many are seeking that middle-ground. They're trying to find some feasible way to live a life of faith that pleases God yet also doesn't invoke hatred and strife from a society that's devolving away from Him. They've gotten it in their minds that they can create this version of the Gospel that focuses almost exclusively on the beautiful promise of a salvation that leads to Heaven without really having to touch on the required repentance that makes that salvation possible. They seem to honestly think that they can please people all while still believing they're serving God.

News flash folks, not happening. It's not happening because our faith requires more than simply knowing how to pronounce Jesus' name. It's about more than making people feel good. It's about more than anyone's comfort. It's bigger than us, better than this place, and higher than the lowly preferences of a fallen creation. So approaching our calling as if it's nothing more than saying Jesus' name out loud without ever telling people Who He is or what He's done is one of the gravest, most selfish, and most sickening ideas that we could come up with.

The harsh reality that everyone needs to firmly understand is that a gospel that requires nothing is a gospel that offers nothing. If we're not changed, then it has no power. If we're not ashamed, then we're not aware of just how wrong we've been. If we don't walk away from a church service absolutely gob-smacked at the kind of merciful love we've been shown, then we're missing the point of God's forgiveness. If we don't reach a point where we loathe our very existence because of the horrendous sins we've committed, then we will never be able to understand why Christ came to this earth and died for our sake.

And yet, as so many become so willing to avoid the topic of sin and resort to altering the true Gospel of Christ into some feel-good fairy tale, that's what's is being allowed to happen. People are building their faith upon something that they don't even know anything about. If we're not telling people the full story, then how is anyone to know for sure that they're going the right direction. If we leave parts out or twist things to make it more appeasing, then aren't we just coaxing people to believe in some watered-down version of a narrative that affords us comfort rather than speaking the whole truth of Scripture that's meant to lead us all to sanctification?

God's will for us isn't to live out our lives in relative ease as we comfortably await the return of Jesus to hurry up and get here so we can move on to a reward that we never really helped anyone else find. His will for us isn't to soak up all the glory and goodness of His Word without ever stopping to realize that everyone else needs to know about it as well. It's not about setting our sights solely on ourselves. It's about dying to self so that we can live for more than what we tend to find satisfactory.

What I think so many are seemingly forgetting is that we're all a part of the stories of those around us, not just our own. God didn't put us down here in sealed-off cages a thousand miles from the next living creature. He placed us amongst a sea of lost souls and gave us the lifeline that can help pull them back to shore. He sent Christ to offer us salvation from our foolish pasts and give us a new heart set on serving His will rather than whatever other nonsense we've chased up to this point.

He calls us to repent of our foolish and sinful ways and set our sights on following the example of Christ that leads us to strive for righteousness even though we’ll never come close to attaining it. He calls us to realize the deadly reality of sin and to help everyone else learn of that warning as well. He calls us to go into the all the world and share the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. But is that what we're doing? Or are we maybe taking it upon ourselves to brainstorm some other way to convince ourselves we're serving God while in fact we're simply running from His true will for our lives?

Can we change His will? No. But can we run away from it knowing that it's scary, and painful, and hard, and will bring all sorts of hatred and hardship? Absolutely. And many are. Many are spending so much time paying so much attention to what the world wants that they're completely forgetting what it is that God's wants. They’re so consumed with themselves and what’s good for them in the here and now that they’re not worrying at all about what still lies ahead when these lives are over. God loves us, but He isn't willing to compromise His truth in order to appease our desire for comfort. And if He's not going to compromise then why should we be so quick and so willing to do so?

Because it’s too hard? Because it requires too much change? Because the world is hateful and angry? Because we want people to like us? Because it's hard to be called names? Because there's absolutely nothing fun about being persecuted? Because it'd just be so much easier to go with the flow and not tick off those who are already ticked off? Get over it! It's time we get over ourselves and realize that there is far more at stake than just some temporary comfort or social gain.

The fact is that we have a responsibility, but often times, it’s one that we allow to go unfulfilled as we waste our time worried about nonsense that doesn’t matter rather than focusing on what should. We can either live in fear of man or spend our time here in reverent fear of the Lord. We can place our own comfort and desires ahead of the repentance and change that Scripture tells us about, or we can humble ourselves to admitting that we really do have plenty that needs to be forgiven. We can distort and twist this message we’ve been given in order to avoid hatred and persecution, or we can stand and deliver the message that saved us so that it can help save others.

We can either focus on sharing an opinion-based, feelings-centered, human-catered false gospel aimed at making people comfortable, or we can call attention the danger of the lies that we humans prefer to believe and stop allowing comfort to carry such weight in our hearts. We can try to do and say whatever it takes to make people like us, or we can encourage them to be like Jesus. But we have to choose because we can't play on two opposing teams in the same game.

I know it's hard, but if it weren't then would it be so meaningful? I know it's easy to get caught up in thinking that these lives matter because we spend a seemingly long time living them. And honestly, who wouldn't want to make them as easy and pleasant as possible? But still, we have to stop seeing things through the scope of our time here and understand that these lives are just a drop in the bucket that is eternity. And while this part is just the blink of an eye in the grand scheme of forever, the choices we make while we're here have an impact that carries eternal significance.

When our time is up and we suddenly find ourselves face to face with the Good Lord above us, what will we have to say? That we lived our best lives? That we enjoyed all the fruit this world had to offer? That we made people feel good about themselves? That we made it through unscathed? That we managed to talk a lot about Jesus, even though we never really talked about what He means or what He did or what He offers or what He asks for? That we had a million fans who loved everything we ever said and never heard a single word that went against their delightful illusions? Will we simply fall back on saying Jesus' name hoping that knowing it is truly enough?

If we only have things that like to offer, then we'll likely hear what Jesus Himself warns us about a couple verses later in Matthew: "I never knew you." Because honestly, that’s the point of faith. It’s not a hope based somewhere in the distant future. It’s daily relationship that needs steadfast nurturing so that it can grow stronger by the day.

It's easy to take the big things lightly as eternity isn't here yet. Heaven is still a promise up ahead and we're still stuck in this place a far distance from that hope. But we can't afford to allow ourselves to forget that judgement day is coming for all of us. And if we choose to spend our time focused on us and what people want and sharing a message that pleases everyone involved all while simply taking the Lord's name in vain in an effort to make our lies seem righteous then we'll have done nothing but lead ourselves and anyone who heard us away from Heaven as we never had the courage to seek Jesus and help others do the same.

Friends, what this world wants and what God wants are oil and water. They just don't mix because God wants hearts set on serving His will and seeking righteousness while the world is okay following hearts set on self and seeking everything that's deemed pleasurable to our wandering souls. So can we change God’s plans or alter His will? Not at all. But if we’re not careful, we could very easily wind up on the wrong side of things as we spend our lives more worried about what humans think and what they want us to be rather than going into fray to do what Christ told us needs to be done.

As Proverbs 14:25 tells us, “A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.” When we take upon ourselves the title ‘Christian’ we become witnesses to the glory revealed in the truth of the Gospel. If you want to distort that, or avoid that, or gloss over it, then that’s on you. We’re called to do more than simple say Jesus’ name. We’re called to help others find Him and the salvation that is only found in Him. Nothing else should ever matter because nothing else can lead anyone to Heaven.

We’re in the business of saving lives. Because after all, God’s doesn’t want anyone to perish but wants all of us to come to repentance that leads to the salvation of everyone who lives with hearts set on knowing Christ and making Him known in this place. Stop settling for less because anything less won’t matter when these lives end.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold