No Fluff, No Doing Nothing

No Fluff, No Doing Nothing 

John 4:24 NASB "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Luke 10:25-37 NASB " And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Do the words of Jesus bother you?  

Does obeying God bother you?

is it getting in the way of your life?

Do you maybe go to Church and basically only warm a seat?  

Are you at all listening when the Spirit speaks to you?  

Like last night's two additional posts, like all the others written by me, what I am told to write, I write.  It's out of both obedience and a hope that someone who needs to read it does and does something with their lives because of it.

Only in writing these posts has my ability to write flourished.  I haven't been able to write for any other medium, digital or paper.  

The questions asked are food for thought today.   Are you really only going through the motions at Church in order to put your conscience at ease about the other days in which you are doing your own thing?

We are told in James to be more and to do more.

James 1:22-27 NASB "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

Jesus told a lawyer to go and do the same.  We are told in our times of worship we ought to be there, be doing, not just hearing.  Not there to appease God so that we can get out quickly to go watch a movie or a game and satisfy ourselves. 

We aren't here to find our own personal happiness.  We come to Christ for salvation. We come to be saved and to share that news with others so that they might be saved. This world is dying. This world in which you and I live is a slow-motion train wreck.  The only time left to it is between right now and the Rapture of the Church. Then 1,007 years later it's all over for this world as it is. A new Heaven and new Earth are coming. Whether it's a transformation of what exists or is entirely new is outside the ability for mankind to know.  All discussions on it are supposition.  Guesses.  

We are to go and do the same in our walk with Jesus. We are supposed to be active in His plan and in the body of Christ. 

Cells that work with the body are truly part of the body. Cells that do their own thing and try to change the body to do something different are called cancers and should be removed. 

We are supposed to be growing in respect to salvation. Growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  I can't help but be reminded of a song. "This Highway Leads to Glory" by Charley Pride.

I remember when I was a little boy
Down on an ole country farm
We'd go to church on Sunday and I'd hear the preacher say
If you want to see my Jesus you gotta stay on the King's highway

This highway leads to glory but it's no easy ride
You'll find all kind of exits can throw you off your stride
Some will lead to fortune and others lead to fame
Some will lead you so far wrong you won't return again

Oh you just stay between the white lines
Obey all the right signs
Keep your eyes open all the time
Oh you just stay between the white lines
Never pass o're the yellow line
And you'll get to heaven right on time

Satan's on this highway he walks on every side
Tryin' to flag you down don't give him a ride.
He will try to stop you at just any cost
You may stop too long and your soul maybe lost.

Oh you just stay between the white lines
Obey all the right signs
Keep your eyes open all the time
Oh you just stay between the white lines
Never pass o're the yellow line
And you'll get to heaven right on time
Oh yes now you'll get to heaven right on time.

So just what are you doing?  Are you a doer of the Word? Do you know more about useless facts and figures of sports teams, movies, television, hobbies than you do about Jesus and His plan and purpose for your life?  

Indeed I do pray for the ability to retire. But not from working. I would like to retire from man directed work and work at what Jesus is doing. Being an Andrew and pointing people to Jesus. To share with others the great things that God is doing. To provide hope to people who aren't seeing it.  My head knowledge is vast on a great many subjects. But if it's not about Jesus what good is it?  I enjoy how-to videos. It can cause me towards being creative.  But I cannot allow that to stop me from growing in Christ.  

Jesus wants all who come to Him for salvation to grow in Christ. To be Disciples. To be doers of the Word.  To worship God in Spirit and in truth. 

Our clothes don't matter. It's our spirit and soul that matter to Jesus. 

Our possessions don't matter, it's how we use them to point people to Jesus. 

Our lives are but for a moment. Not even really showing up as a point of light in the centuries that have happened to date. What we have done for Christ is what will endure. 

Are you going to be a follower who is a doer of the Word or are you putting on a show for both the world and God to see?  As the passage we read says, deceiving ourselves?

Are you unhappy? Is it because you're not getting your way in life?  Is it because your plans and God's aren't the same?

There's no fluff. It's all reality with Jesus. 

There's no putting on a show that won't be revealed as that being what it was. 

There is no putting in your time with Jesus in order to go do your own thing. 

Consider your ways. Consider just what it is you are pursuing and why.  Listen to what Jesus has said...and go and do the same.