This world works hard to supplant our devotion to the Word of God. Everything in it is designed to consume our time. Time that could be spent communing with Christ. We tell ourselves, “we have to,” that we have no choice but to be “in the world,” and make sacrifices. But is that true? Scripture tells us to “count all lost but knowing Christ,” (Philippians 3:8) and tp remain “unstained from the world.” (James 1:27). What excuses are we making to be lukewarm (Revelation 3:16)? How do we justify the cognitive dissonance of our faith that calls us to love the Lord and hate the world and then yet as Christians look exactly like the world?
They call this attitude of taking seriously “not conforming to the world,” (Romans 12:2) radical. As if it is some radical monastic form of Christianity, when it is clear what the nominal churches call radical, is in point of fact Christianity as the Bible declares it. Loving God and hating the world is not some fringe doctrine from one verse out of context, it is a reality that is riddled throughout the Sacred Texts. Our Lord and God Jesus said emphatically when the prince of the world asked him to bow, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” (Matthew 4:10). Christ our Savior is making a point that we are to be all in, fully committed to Him. We cannot have one foot in the world and one in The Word, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Trying to live both will only breed bipolar Christianity, and justifying of things that God condemns. We cannot be duo-citizens, our citizenship is in heaven, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Philippians 3:20). Our passport is the Kingdom of Heaven, not this world!
All great things have a cost. When you marry you are yoked tp another’s life, which brings pleasure, but also it means having to consider another person’s needs as much as your own. The same comes with being a Christian. Jesus did not do as ministers do now, sugar coating the Call, He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). This cross is not a prop, it does not have Starbuck’s decals and touch screens, no it means what it meant back then, suffering, putting to death that which seeks to separate us from our Lord. Christ died for all sin, but this world wants to lead you away from him, it’s prince will try every trick and deep game manipulation to rob you of absolute devotion to Jesus, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2-4). This world is not going to reinforce your faith, it is antagonistic towards it. So each day you must decide, are you gonna be lukewarm or are you going to lasso the cross to your back? Are you going to be all in for the Kingdom, or just fold to play the world’s game? Amen.
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