“If you love me, keep my commands." - John 14:15. It seems pretty straightforward, yet many Christians seem to forget that the word command is not an option but an order. If you were a soldier in battle and you had your commanding officer give you an order (a command). You chose to disobey that order it could lead to serious consequences, including a court-martial, potential imprisonment, a dishonorable discharge, and a reduction in rank, as disobeying a lawful order is considered a serious military offense called “insubordination” under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I have to be honest here, I do not always get this right. In fact, if I am being raw and authentic, then I would have to admit that I get it way more wrong than I do right. Whether it’s pride, or lust or just a willingness to obey Jesus’s commands, I find myself getting caught up more in the things of this world than setting my mind on things above (Colossians 3:1-17).
Instead of giving you the complete list of the 49 commands of Jesus, I wanted us to take the time a focus on 7 of the majors:
REPENT - Matthew 4:17 states for us to “Repent: For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
FOLLOW HIM - Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
REJOICE - “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE - “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
HONOR GOD’S LAW - Matthew 5:17-18 states “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
BE RECONCILED - Matthew 5:23-25, “So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to[a] the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.”
DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY (Self Control) - In Matthew 5:29-30, we read, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Here is the thing about discipleship, a little secret that I want to share with every one of you reading this post: If we are supposed to be image bearers of God, then why are we trying to do this discipleship stuff on our merit? Our goodwill? Our own trying to get it right? So much of this can lead us to the unholy trinity of fear, shame, and guilt. Discipleship is not supposed to be easy. It is something that we have to submit our whole mind, body and soul into. Do you exercise? Do you run marathons? Do you have a craft or talent that would be considering you a Master Swordsman? Let’s put that last question in context - 10,000 hours spent on the craft of swordsmanship would qualify you to be a master swordsman with the right training, time and effort to hone in your craft to be the expert - the same is true of discipleship, until we can fully commit, submit and obey, how can we effectively try and be a disciple of Jesus Christ? We simply cannot!
Here are a couple of examining questions for you: Am I daily in the word of God? Am I applying, memorizing and eating the scripture? Am I hearing the words, or am I hearing and doing what they tell me to do? How is my prayer life? Am I praying for meals only? Am I praying only when I need, want, or desire something from God? Am I in a relationship with God (am I saved)? Am I in a right relationship with God? Can you feel me when I am asking these questions? It is about the heart of the matter. If you love Jesus, then follow his commands.
If you Love Him, then what?
