Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. There’s a full schedule waiting for me on this glorious October day, but I found my time to meet with the Living God before all the madness begins, and I because I did; I’ll be prepared for whatever comes my way and I’ll have all the time in the world to do what I need to do. I’m not sure how the rest of the world copes with the sadness and the madness of this dark world without a focus on Him; but I know that I’m powerless and I’m worthless without Him front-and-center. I’m not sure how the rest of the world looks at their role in this thing called “life” but I know that my Life is supposed to revolve around Him first and foremost. I’m not sure how the rest of the world views their responsibility as children of the Living God, but I know that my role is to share the Good News with the world. Is that the way you see your life too?

It’s so amazing to me how people of Faith can read the same Instruction Manual and get a different meaning. Some of the biggest differences in the Christian world are over different interpretations of the same Word of God. Most of the differences that we argue over aren’t deal breakers at all; but we fight and we fight to be heard. Plenty of people of Faith will skip over the painful parts of the Instruction Manual and they’ll excuse away why that part makes no sense for their lives; as if God has somehow become obsolete and the Rules have somehow changed for us all. Sometimes legalism gets in the midst of us and the ones who believe that they’ve been hand-picked to be judge and jury will focus on the others with criticism and disdain and their words sting everybody within shouting distance. These people usually don’t have a whole lot of friends in their world but they explain away their hard hearts and they have convinced themselves that “the Truth hurts” and it’s only because they speak it that others flee their world. There are lots of people of Faith who believe that their part to Serve the King is restricted to the confines of a brick and mortar building and they’ll work like beavers to clean or to teach while they Guard the Fort as if God isn’t up for the task. Then there are others who believe that if they pitch a few dollars in the offering plate as it passes by that they have fulfilled their obligation by “funding” others to do His Work. How sad it is to see so many people complicate the Journey and overlook the simplest of Rules like “love thy neighbor as thyself” and “go forth and make disciples of all nations”. Abiding by just these two Rules alone would be a game-changer in our world and the Fruit of our actions would make an Everlasting difference. But do we make any effort all all to follow them?

It takes a lot of work on the human heart to get to a place where we can even come close to loving our neighbor as ourselves. Instead we like to pick and choose who deserves our love, and we draw boundaries around our lives because of it. But anybody can love the people closest to them or people they ALLOW to come in to their world; it takes a Surrendered Heart to love all the others “as ourselves”. If we’re Instructed to go make disciples of other people, how are supposed to do that if we aren’t disciples ourselves? Day after day so many people of Faith don’t even open their mouths about the Living God much less do they hunger to Introduce Him to their world. Somehow they’ve convinced themselves that their responsibility is to fill up a pew on a Sunday morning or to clean or teach for their own. They have convinced themselves that as long as they’re living a respectable Life that they are fulfilling their Responsibility as people of Faith. But “go forth” is pretty clear and to “go forth” it requires a little action outside of our home or our church. Just these two Rules have the Power to transform this dark world into something unrecognizable with Results that would make an Everlasting Difference.

I’m working hard to follow these two Rules (and a host of others that please my God) and although I often fail; I’ll keep working and working to fulfill what He tells me to do until I draw my last breath.

How about you?