Song
O Lord come down and manifest your power x2
My Redeemer come down and manifest your power
O Lord come down and manifest your power
Faithful God, we are here for You. Let Your kindness speak into my life and destiny in the Name of Jesus. I cannot do it of my own. Without You Lord, I can do nothing, I pray for Your help to manifest all Your glory in my life, destroy the works of satan over the lives of Your children and let us live as the priest you called us to be. Glory be to Your Name. Amen!
Beloved, today we will be considering the effect of an untried Christian ideal. We try bring it in yesterday’s devotional but for our better understanding, the Lord has enable us to make it more explicit by the message below, so put on your seat belt as we move in the realm of the Holy Spirit as make it more clearer to us:
The Untried Christian Ideal
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” A. K. Chesterton
The thought that Christ wants all of me on His terms based solely on the strength of His Word relegates many of us to observer status in what could have been a living drama beyond imagination. We simply find His challenge too “difficult” and consequently “left untried.”
After all, how can Jesus be taken seriously when He says,
- “No one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.“
- “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.“
- “If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, he must give up all right to himself.“
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred for his faith in Nazi Germany stated, “When Jesus Christ calls us, He bids us come and die.“
Many of us would rather live on the fringes of authentic Christianity than “die” to our stubborn will and “risk” everything through total surrender to Christ.
When Jesus challenged a mob of wannabe “disciples” with, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you… many… turned back and no longer followed Him.” (John 6:53, 66 – niv; kjv)
In that moment, His call to total commitment… to the “Christian ideal” was “found difficult and left untried.”
The question Jesus then posed to the remaining disciples echoes down through the centuries to us today, “Will you too go away?” (John 6:67)
Only you, in the depths of your soul know the answer to that question.
Beloved, the Christian walk is best illustrated with the message below. Follow me to see what you must do if you must succeed in the race; the eternal race. You must come and see:
They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are You staying?”
“Come and you’ll see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day.—John 1:38b–39
There comes a time for each of us when merely talking about the Christian pilgrimage is not sufficient. We must actually set out on the journey! We can spend many hours debating and discussing issues related to the Christian life, but this means little if we never actually step out and follow Christ!
For generations, the coming of the Messiah had been pondered and predicted by the nation of Israel. Perhaps no topic garnered more discussion among Jews than the nature and work of the Messiah. Andrew had listened to John the Baptist and had heard of the coming Messiah. Now, suddenly, he was face to face with the One he had yearned to see! Andrew’s mind was filled with questions he longed to ask. Instead of entering into a theological dialogue with Andrew, however, Jesus turned and began to walk. Andrew’s questions would not be answered by discussion alone, but by walking with Him.
Christianity is not a set of teachings to understand. It is a Person to follow. As he walked with Jesus, Andrew watched Jesus heal the sick, teach God’s wisdom, and demonstrate God’s power. Andrew not only learned about God; he actually experienced Him!
Moments will come when you stand at a crossroads with your Lord. You will have a hundred questions for Him. Rather than answering the questions one by one, Jesus may say, “Put on your shoes, step out onto the road, and follow Me.” As you walk daily with Him, Jesus will answer your questions, and you will discover far more than you even knew to ask.
Is someone ready to do this walk with Christ? Put on your shoe and step out, there you will learn more of your Christ. Praise the Lord.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
