Post # 53
The macro question is what must I do to inherit eternal life? The micro question is what must I do to walk with God, follow his lead and hear his voice each day?
The following is written for those curious about the Christian faith and the hope it offers, as well as a review for those already committed.
I believe God’s will for us is to develop a love relationship with him and to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness by calling on him for the power to do it – on a daily basis. In order to do this we need to set aside some quiet time for prayer, meditation and Bible reading when we are free from distractions.
Matthew 22:34-40 says – “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ ” NIV
These two commandments summarize the ten commandments; the first four of which describe how to love God and the last six describe how to love neighbors.
Jesus expanded the second of the above into a new commandment for his disciples in John 13:34 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” NIV
Also in John 15:9-17 – “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 My (new) command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (God has unconditional love for friends and foes alike.)
13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.” NIV
This is essential information for a person who believes in the power of love and desires to spend eternity with Jesus in the Kingdom of God. Where does such a one begin? While I don’t profess to have all the answers, I can point to some scriptures that I hope you will find helpful.
The rich young ruler and the widow’s mite.
Luke 18:18-27
“Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’
So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’
And he said, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth.’
So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’
But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’
And those who heard it said, ‘Who then can be saved?’
But He said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God’.” – NKJV
Let us unpack the story a bit. I believe Jesus was saying it was impossible for a person, who relies on wealth for their prestige, authority and power, to give up relying on physical things, as if they were all there is to life, and rely on God to provide all their physical and spiritual needs. However, if such self reliant persons sincerely desire to inherit eternal life they are welcome to call on God for the power, perseverance and whatever it takes to follow him.
The Widow’s Mite in Luke 21:1-4
“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘ Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had’.”
The widow decided to put her trust totally in God and to rely on him to provide all her needs – physical, spiritual, mental and emotional.
You may be saying, “How can I, a human being, love other people like God loves them?”
Well we can understand how to love and respect other people’s right to live, because we love our own life and love having the freedom to live the lifestyle of our choice. However, God loves all people equally and unconditionally, which includes his enemies who hate him. While he loves us as persons our behaviour needs work.
The answer lies in taking up God’s offer to give believers a part of himself, the Holy Spirit; which makes it possible to respect all people and to not only do them no harm, but to promote their well-being in thought, word and deed. Things such as that are possible only with God’s help.
How do people receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?
Peter said in Acts 2:37-39 – “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’
Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call’.” – NKJV
Jesus said in Mark 1:14-15 – “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ ” NIV.
Repent means to reverse your position from disbelief to belief in God and the gospel, which is the good news of God’s free gift of eternal life, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
This is the place where we must decide whether or not to take these steps and then, if we do, to see how it changes our priorities in life and opens our mind to grow in understanding.
You may want to follow a daily devotional guide such as “Our Daily Bread” and pray and meditate using outlines of the Lord’s Prayer such as (Here) and Psalm 23 (Here).
Shorter versions of the above meditations are available Here and Here .
Bible reading and meditation helps to quiet the mind so we may hear God’s voice and be guided and directed to do his will – day by day.
I believe God’s will for us is to develop a love relationship with him and to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness by calling on him for the power to do it. Jesus urges us to obey his law, which is set out in the Sermon on the Mount ( Matthew chapters 5-7).
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