Back to Basics
Sunday, January 13, 2008
“Talk is Cheap…”
21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:21 NLT
Lights!.....Camera…….ACTION!!! We’ve all heard those words, haven’t we? When a movie or television show is being filmed, those are the commands: the lights are turned on first, then the camera is turned on, and then comes the ACTION—whatever scene is taking place in the movie is acted out before the cameras. While it probably isn’t done that way anymore, and may never have been done exactly that way, it emphasizes that in the end ACTION needs to be the result or there’s nothing to record! Jesus made it clear that it isn’t enough for us to SAY that He is our Lord. It isn’t enough to SHOUT, “Lord, Lord!” We must actually DO the will of our Father in heaven. Jesus wasn’t talking about filming a movie. He was talking about entering HEAVEN! For us who claim the name of Jesus as our Savior and Lord, ACTION needs to be the order of every day—ACTION that reflects Jesus lordship in our lives. Throughout the week, we’ll be looking at various Scriptures, including the Scripture being focused on in the Sunday message today that emphasize the need for action in our lives as Jesus’ followers. We’ll also see that it isn’t just ANY action that Jesus calls us to perform, but action that reflects Him, that glorifies His heavenly Father. As we go about each day, the only difference the world can see between a follower of Jesus and the world is when our lives display the actions of Jesus.
Have you ever WANTED to do what Jesus teaches, even TRIED to do what Jesus teaches, but it just doesn’t come out that way? One of my points of emphasis this week is going to be the importance of “hiding” God’s word in our hearts in order to actually DO God’s will in our lives. Sometimes folks focus on reading THROUGH the Bible every year—and that’s good. But the matter of most importance is having specific truth from Scripture be lived out in us! That only happens when we focus our hearts on Jesus and His word. Then the ACTION becomes more and more like Him!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
Is your life in Jesus more one of “talk” or “action,” right now? What evidence is there for your answer?
What area in your life has been the most problematic when it comes to DOING the will of Jesus?
Take time right now to find a Scripture that addresses that problem and start “hiding” it in your heart as “ammunition” for overcoming the problem.