Life Lessons (Max Lucado) (Deut.27:1-28:68) SITUATION: The altar at Mount Ebal was to serve as a reminder of the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. OBSERVATION: Actions have consequences. Because the Israelites neglected to obey God, they fell into the hands of Assyria and Babylon. INSPIRATION: The partially surrendered life may be Christian in spirit, but it is secular in practice. It may save ones soul,but it hardly leaves a noticeable ripple on ones lifestyle, life view,or the world and culture in which we live. Of what earthly value is Christianity if it leaves no indelible mark on ones lifestyle? It is of no value (in this life) to be Christian if you do not think Christianity-if you do not have a Christian life view. We live in a broken generation. One doesnt need to be a rocket scientist to make this observation,but the obvious question,of course, is Why? Many think the answer is confusing,but it is not. It is found throughout the record of Scripture-it is disobedience. It is to lead a partially surrendered, or worse, an unsurrendered, unyielding life. How can we learn to be obedient? We must learn how to surrender, to submit to Christ in the details of daily life. Over the past few decades, many of us started off on the wrong foot with Jesus Christ. It is the proposition that Jesus can be Savior without being Lord. It is the idea that one can add Christ,but not subtract sin. Many of us have merely added Christ to our lives as another interest in an already busy and otherwise overcrowded schedule. This sort of thinking has watered down the meaning of personal relationship with Christ. The problem is that we often seek the God we want, but do not know the God who is. Many men and women I have met express complete, utter frustration about leading this kind of defeated (sometimes counterfeit),partially surrendered life-the life of a cultural Christian. How do this come about? The low demands of cultural Christianity have led to a low response-it has become the norm. But the Bible calls men and women to a turning point,to a radical, life-transforming change. This turning point means no challenge,but a full surrender to historys most ideal, radical leader: the Lord Jesus Christ. APPLICATION: God wants your life marked by obedience and integrity. How do you justify avoiding God? Because of money? Because some Christian has done you wrong? Because Sundays are for sports? Evaluate, adjust, and begin a fresh walk with God.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 11:10:03 +0000