Going … Make Disciples!

People who ask, or think, “What do I have to live for?” are almost always at a place of spiritual desperation, either because they do not know the answer, or they have lost hope due to the circumstances in their lives that have temporarily distracted them from the truth Jesus revealed in the “Beatitudes” … the truth that they ARE blessed, in Christ! When you know it’s not WHAT you live for, but WHO you live for, the question is answered before you ask it! In His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus lays down the “platform” for His kingdom.  Like a political candidate, Jesus speaks about a variety of issues, all of which influence how those who acknowledge HIM as King will live their lives in this world. Unlike a political candidate, Jesus is not asking for your vote … Jesus is declaring that the Father rules over all things. The Law that came through Moses and the other Prophets was not abolished when Jesus came to reign as King over God’s kingdom. But Jesus revealed that only those whose heart is set on pleasing the Father will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Obedience that is not from the heart, out of a desire to please God, is only a facade. God looks at the heart! “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Without this focus on Christ and His kingdom, the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, will be filled either with the desire to pursue the things of the world, or with despair. If the question, “What do I have to live for?” is not answered correctly … if you do not know that you are alive because God has given you new life in Christ, so that you will live for HIM … the result will be a life filled with doubt, anxiety, fear and worry. Jesus offers something so much better!!!