More than Words

More than Words 

by David Brenneman 

‭"A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” Luke 18:18-30

Many years ago there was a tribute song to Veterans by The Statler Brothers called "More than a Name on a Wall".  

There's more to life than just claiming the name of Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  

There's living out your life as one who has done so. There is what Jesus wants of you in your life rather than your own wants and desires. Take up your own cross and follow Him.  

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13.

Do you desire the things of God? Are your hearts desires God honoring at all?  

Who's flying this plane anyway? Are you taking what thoughts, emotions, feelings, desires that should be directed towards living a life in Godliness and instead use them to do what you want?

‭"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, [f]is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:8-14.

I have both watched and have personally heard people say "that's just a piece of paper" with regard to a signed commitment, be it a contract or even a Marriage license. But with Believers it shouldn't be so.

We don't take it serious enough concerning our giving an account of our lives before Jesus.

Often, when the children of Israel were in trouble, the Lord Jesus said what was needed. Did you catch what they did? Put their idols away to follow all that the Lord Jesus said. Doesn't say at all that they destroyed them. In time, when the trouble passed, they got them out again.

Are not many Believers doing this today? They cry out to Jesus to save them and in His time salvation comes in whatever form He sees fit...and when the tumult passes they go back to living in what got them in trouble in the first place. 

The word of God is more than just words on paper. Letting go of what trips us up isn't a suggestion for healthy living.  

Being in prayer, being in the Word of God daily isn't some option to consider adding to your life. Is eating, drinking and breathing optional to your physical life?

You're never going to even begin to understand the depths of God's love for you if you aren't walking and talking with Jesus daily. Your walk with Jesus must be more than words you said a long time ago to become a child of God.  

You're never going to get out of life what Jesus intended to be in your life until you start living in obedience to God's Word. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.