Obey Jesus at all costs

The most striking commands from Jesus are not presented in step-by-step "how-to" style.  He wants our all-consuming motivation in life to be for Him. 

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"Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

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Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

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If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell.

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Why would we give up our plans, pleasures and passions?  

1) Because often our lifestyles offend God and violate His good order of life.  The fair, appropriate consequences of our common selfish lifestyles is present discipline and future Hell.  

2) Because God is utterly forgiving (thanks to Jesus' obedient sacrifice on the cross), Good, powerful, and he knows better because of his unique (God-like) perspective.  Yes, he is worth trading our current lifestyles for His.  He offers a present and future which is much better than the best times we can have without Him. 

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All who have given up home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or land for me will be given a hundred times as much. They will also have eternal life. 

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The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.  The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a shop owner is looking for fine pearls.  After finding a very valuable one, the owner goes and sells everything in order to buy that pearl.
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So, what do we do?  Live joyfully thankful for Jesus, obeying him at all costs.

The main commands

Generally, Jesus' main message seems to be to repent (there's a lot to unpack there).  His most important commands sum up a repentant life:


1) Love God with all my heart, mind and strength 
2) Love my neighbors as myself.  


Beyond these, there are a lot of more specific commands I should obey - as long as I obey because of love for him.  Not for pride, guilt, power or money.  My love for Him is only because he loved me first.

I'm back

OK.  It's high time this blog got a jump start.  I am entirely inadequate to address this topic, but here goes anyway.  Honestly, this is a selfish blog to facilitate my own processing of Jesus' raw commands, or as raw as I can recognize them to be.  Hopefully by thinking through Jesus' commands, it will become increasingly common for me to obey them.

Why obey him?

Jesus is better off for having been crucified. Seriously, he was obedient, then rose from the dead and now he reigns with the Father.

Sometimes, living disciplined and obedient feels terrible, but there is no regret when we are. Life is better when we're obedient. Even if it doesn't feel like it at the time. Selfishly, it's a better life to obey Jesus.  Not for good self image, but to love Him, who loves me far more.

My heart needs changing.

It isn't natural to obey Jesus. My instinct tells me to be greedy, jealous, lustful, angry and controlling. But my heart needs to be changed, and it is slowly changing, the more I obey him.

*God, I need your help to love you and to love people.*

Obedience, not just learning

I am 29 years old with a wife and two kids, working an engineering job, living in a suburban condo, and want to be a real disciple of Jesus. I want to live God's ways, but I know I am hardly living in his Kingdom. So, this blog is intended to help me think through obeying Jesus.

His famous geotechnical teaching is not about being smart or believing in God, but about putting his words into practice. The foolish man whose house fell also heard his words, but didn't put them into practice.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Then, after Jesus rises from the dead, he has conversations with his disciples (who are shocked and worship him), and he is about to ascend to heaven. But before he goes, tells them...

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

hmmm.....

Apparently, the reason he wants disciples to tell the world about him isn't just to make him famous, he is interested in obedience which will revolutionize the world, and save our deceitful souls in the process. I need to obey him - not put on a spiritual front. This means not obeying my instincts, preferences, reputation or bank account - but Jesus.

What would it be like if I were consistently a "doer of the Word" and not a hearer only? I'm tempted to think it's impossible, but all things are possible with God. God please help me.