That isn't normally a question that we ask of our fellow Christians. We don't talk about dedication. We talk about faith - do you believe in Jesus as your Savior? Yes! Hurrah! And then we walk away. Do you love Jesus? Yes. And then we turn on the TV and watch the latest sitcom that teaches everything but the way to live out the love of Christ in life. Are you dedicated to you Lord? Dedicated? What do you mean? Are you asking how much I love Him? Are you asking how much I pray? Or read the Word? Or share the message of the Gospel? Those things don't matter. All that matters is that I love Jesus.
True. For salvation, it is only the grace of God that saves you. It is completely and totally His work that saves you and me. He even gives us the faith to believe in Him - giving it to us through Word and Sacrament. Salvation comes to us by grace through faith. Our salvation doesn't depend on our dedication. It depended completely upon His dedication to us. And it was total dedication - giving up His life upon the cross for you and me, rising again to new life and giving to us forgiveness, faith and salvation. What a dedicated God He truly is.
How dedicated are you? Is your life dedicated to following the Lord? Does your daily life reflect that dedication? I know people who are very dedicated to their baseball team but aren't nearly as dedicated to their Lord. They will watch every game, pay for the channels to see the games, pay for the tickets to go to the games, wear their favorite team gear and yet, hardly ever darken the doorway of their church. They don't feel the need to worship the Lord they claim to be dedicated to in their lives but wouldn't dare miss something for their team. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good ballgame. I will go to a ballgame. I will watch one on TV. But in the end, the team doesn't mean more to me than my Lord. Put next to each other, I am dedicated to my Lord. And I try to live like I am.
How dedicated are you to the Lord? The call to follow the Lord is complete. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength. Doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room does it? I think that in many ways, modern day Christians (and probably Christians through the years past) have made their faith too "easy." They believe and figure that is enough. The call to follow the Lord is a call to live for Him, living in His love, sharing that love and living with your fellow man as He would have you live with him. It is a challenge. It is difficult. But He empowers us through Word and Sacrament to live daily dedicated in our lives.
How dedicated are you?
No comments:
Post a Comment