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.