“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:21

Our admission to God’s Kingdom comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. There’s nothing we, in our imperfection, can do to earn our way into the presence of our perfect God. However, genuine faith that saves is never just a matter of appearances or words, hand-raising or aisle-walking. Bumper stickers and car magnets won’t suffice.

If you’ve been saved by Jesus Christ and made new in Him, you will increasingly desire to do the will of God. Your will should be decreasing as His will increases in its influence on your thoughts, words, and actions. It isn’t enough to talk a good game as a Christian or to simply attend church once a week. If we’re saved, you and I will truly walk in the footsteps of Christ. We must accept His invitation to take up our cross each and every day, denying ourselves, and following Him.

The will of God is transformation of our hearts and minds to become like Jesus. The will of God is transformation of our lives to live like Jesus, act like Jesus, and actively share Jesus. The will of God is disciple-making, good-work-doing, light-shining, lost-seeking, difficult-person-loving obedience to everything Christ commanded.

We can’t do any of that on our own, at least not for long. However, in Christ, we’re given the Holy Spirit and as we yield our life to Him, His Spirit empowers us and changes us to do the will of God. Don’t try to skate through life simply cheering Jesus on. Do the hard work of obeying God’s will every day in His power!

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” – Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus is crystal clear. Walking the path of faith with Him will be challenging. We’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus is the narrow gate. Then, if our faith is genuine, we’ll devote our lives to following in His footsteps, seeking to imitate His character, and obeying ALL His commands. That’s the hard way leading to life.

Please let go of any notion that Christian life should be easy, comfortable, or financially rewarding. Forget any idea that you should be protected by the world from the world. There’s certainly great joy and wonderful purpose and significance in following Jesus, but it it’s never supposed to be easy! Your life in Christ is supposed to look VERY different from the path being walked by non-believing friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

Don’t expect that following Jesus will be popular with the culture in which you live. Don’t expect it to look like blending in with the crowd, riding a wave of prosperity and comfort, or being appreciated by anyone other than the Lord and your fellow believers. Don’t expect earthly honor, privilege, or status simply because you follow Jesus. Indeed, you should expect the opposite.

Nonetheless, Jesus and the path He leads us on is the one and only gate and path to eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and fellowship with God. This is the only path. Walk it in the confidence that Christ is with you on that path and knows it well. Be among the few and as you travel, do everything you possibly can to invite and encourage others to walk the path with you.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:1

One of the unfortunate realities of our fallen humanity is that it’s really easy for us to do good things for bad reasons! The fact that sin affects (and infects) every aspect of our mind, body, and emotions means sin threatens to taint even the best things we try to do. We always need to be aware of why we do the good things we do.

Are we helping people, giving to those in need, caring for the vulnerable, etc. because it’s the right thing to do? Because Jesus commanded us to? To make God visible and famous? Or are we doing it because it makes us feel good? Or because we think it gives us leverage or status in God’s eyes? Or, perhaps, because we enjoy the applause of people who know what we’re doing? Do we do good things because we like the thanks and approval of others: those we serve, those in our circle of friends who will hear our stories of sacrifice and virtue, or those leading the organizations we serve or give to? Do we give, serve, and love to be approved by God or because we enjoy the approval of others?

Jesus isn’t warning His followers against doing good things. We’re supposed to be doing good things! Jesus is warning us against the creeping tendency for our motivations to either begin wrong or become wrong such that we do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Live at all times to serve and please God. Period. If others praise you, thank you, or celebrate you, then humbly accept the accolades of others, but don’t let those sneak into becoming a major reason you’re doing the right thing.

“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” – Acts 7:59-60

Could you do it? Could you be like Stephen, the first martyr of the church, forgiving those who were stoning him to death as he was being struck by those stones? Could you pray for those actively killing you in that moment, earnestly asking Jesus to forgive them?

It goes against every bit of our natural being. That’s the point, of course. Stephen could forgive those who were killing him because Jesus had forgiven those who killed Him. As Jesus hung dying on the cross, He prayed for His killers to be forgiven.

Every follower of Jesus is called to imitate Jesus. So, because Jesus forgave His executioners, Stephen forgave His. What about you? Are you ready to forgive and pray for those who mistreat you? Who mock you for your Christianity? Would you find strength in the Holy Spirit to pray for someone killing you for your faith? Think about it!

Stephen’s death played an important role in the advance of God’s Kingdom. It was an event that touch the life of one of his killers, a young man who would become the Apostle Paul. There is tremendous Kingdom power and impact to be made by every follower of Jesus who can set aside their natural response to hard situations and instead embrace the supernatural response made possible by the Spirit of Christ within them.

Think about this passage carefully. Think about your response carefully. Pray for God to help you change from a natural response to a supernatural response in every situation. Pray for God to give you the grace and strength to forgive those who wrong you, mistreat you, and persecute you, praying that through your forgiveness they might come to know Jesus for themselves.

“The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.”
– Psalm 12:6

Indeed they are! God’s words are perfect and glorious. They are truth that confronts, convicts, and heals our souls. They reveal God and point us toward salvation in Jesus Christ. They encourage us when we’re down and they humble us when we’re riding high. They teach us the ways of God. They correct us in our sin and error. They train us in the righteousness of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. And they’re neatly organized for us in the Bible.

We live in an era when we enjoy what would have been an unimaginable luxury to our spiritual predecessors and what remains so for billions around the world today. We have in our ready possession the Bible. In our own language. In an enormous variety of excellent translations. Available for free on our phones or for a small price just about anywhere books are sold.

The tragedy is that for English-speaking Christians, we have this abundant access to God’s words in the Bible, yet too few actively read those words. Are you in the habit of reading God’s Word for yourself each day? Truly reading His words, not just reading about them. It’s not enough to enjoy a good devotional or two each morning. Devotionals are like an appetizer at a restaurant. The Bible is the entree, the main course. It can’t be replaced! Do you read and enjoy God’s Word for yourself each and every day?

If you don’t, choose a daily reading plan – on your phone, from this church, wherever. Or make a plan of your own (perhaps one chapter of the New Testament each day for 9 months). Then start reading the Bible for yourself. Today. Then read it again tomorrow. And the next day…