Are you worthy of Christ?

TGIF's Word

Are you worthy of Christ?

Matt 10:34-39

We often think about what Christ can do for us but we seldom speak about our worthiness to Christ. We often love the feel good message that God is love (1 John 4:8) and he loves everyone (John 3:16) but we should recognize that we have a responsibility in our relationship with Christ.

Those responsibilities are similar to what we have in any of our other relationships. Every relationship has rules and boundaries. We love people every day that we are not in relationship with but may still love them. God can love us but not know us (Matt 7:21-23) and if he does not know us we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. He will not claim us if we are not in relationship with him. We want Christ to be in relationship with us and not love us from a distance. We want a personal, intimate relationship with Christ. We want to hide under his shadow of protection (Psa 17:8). We want to find refuge and strength in Christ (Psa 46:1 & 91:2).

If we only seek God when we need something we are not in relationship with him. If we only pray out of routine and we never meditate to hear from Jesus, we are not in relationship. If we put our parents or our children before Christ we are not in relationship. A relationship is being connected by blood or marriage. It comes from the root word related.  I would say Christ is connected to us both ways. The opposite of relationship is no connection, no bond, no relation. What is connecting us to Christ? Jesus has stipulations to be in relation with him.

Matthew 10:36-38

And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

To be in relation with Christ we need to love him enough to follow him wherever he leads.

Jesus is not our sugar daddy. Jesus is our father and he has a requirement of us. Some of us find the concept difficult to grasp. We find it difficult to love The Lord more than our parents or our children. We find it difficult to love the Lord more than we love ourselves. We love and will follow and obey those who can only provide superficial gratification. Yet, the one who can provide, protect, guide, love, give peace, wisdom, understanding, and joy, we struggle with loving him. Jesus said his yolk is easy and his burden is light (Matt 11:30).

We were created to love him. We were created to live for him. When we are doing anything contrary we are operating below our potential and therefore, we are living a less than fruitful life. When we experience a true relationship with Christ there is nothing and no one that can compare. All the money in the world cannot not compare to the love of Christ. His love provides peace that money or pills cannot provide. His love provides protection that is better than armed forces. Relationship with Jesus provides joy that is unexplainable.

If you are not experiencing Joy in Jesus consider a relationship with him today. If your relationship with Jesus has suffered a setback please consider recalibrating your relationship today. Establish a relationship where Jesus is your source and everything and everyone else is a resource.  

J=Jesus

O=Over

Y=You

Allow Jesus to be over you and experience Joy that you have never experienced before!

How Long Will You Wait?

Thursday Awakening

Topic How long will you wait?

Josh 18:2-3, Judg 18:5-10

How long are you going to wait to obtain what God has for you? God has given us an inheritance and it is ours for the taking, but Jesus is asking how long will we wait? How long will we dream or fantasize about our inheritance? How long will we sit in envy of the next person that has pursed what God had for them? How long will we complain about our circumstances? How long will we hope it will drop from heaven or appear in a lottery? It is waiting for us but are we slack in obtaining it.

Josh 18:2-3

Joshua had given out all the land to the children of Israel and there were seven tribes that had not received their inheritance. Joshua said to the seven tribes “How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers have given you” Are we slack today in pursuing what Jesus has given us? Slack means slow or sluggish. Slack also means showing laziness or negligence in obtaining what God has given us.  

When we are negligent, we fail to properly use our talents and our gifts to obtain what Jesus has given us. If God has given us wood and the idea of a chair, the chair is not going to drop from heaven but he has given us the vision and the raw materials to make the chair. 

If Jesus has given us a talent and an idea, the idea will only become reality when we decide to use what Jesus has given us to create the vision he has placed in us. He will give us the people, the resources, and ability but we have to make a decision to take the idea out of our head in into reality. First ask the Lord where to go and what to do. Then go and do it!

Judg 18:5-10 ⁵ And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.” ⁶ And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.” ⁹ They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land.

We have to go and enter and posses what God has given us. Will we do nothing? Will we be slack? Do not be negligent with the talents and gifts God has given you. Do not compare your talents with others. Your talent is special and unique and Jesus has given you a vision, please do not discount it. If God has given you a song but you cannot sing write the song and he will lead you to the person that will sing it. If God has given you a vision but you don’t have the gifts to execute the vision, write the vision and seek the Lord and he will lead you to the people to help you create the vision.

Do not become slack or slow in executing what God has given you. Write the vision and make it plain (Hab 2:2)! Go and subdue. Go and possess! Remember to be strong and of good courage when you are going to pursue what Jesus has given you. Do not fear, do not be afraid for the Lord is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you (Deut 31:6).

God bless you! Jesus loves you so much. He wants you to receive all that he has promised you.