Are you Flying?

Suppose you want to fly to LA (not sure why, but stay with me here). You spend the afternoon searching Kayak, CheapOAir and Expedia. Finding the best prices and the best days for travel, you purchase the ticket to LAX.

At this point, you have made a decision to enter into a contract and have even made a personal sacrifice. The day finally arrives, but you decide to go to the movies instead. Even though you made an agreement, sacrifice and a decision– you did not get on the plane.

Are you flying to LA?

I agree that is a simple question of logic with a simple answer, but might the same process be applicable spiritually?

1 John 2:4-6 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Your loving obedience to the Lord’s commands is you "getting on the plane".

It really does not matter what you claim, how much you have given or where you hang out on Sunday's – loving obedience in your daily life is the evidence of a genuine personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

John said if you claim it, yet do not live it - you are a liar and God's Word is not abiding in you.

Obedience to God’s Word is proof of our love for Him. There are three motives for obedience. We can obey because we have to, because we need to, or because we want to.

A slave obeys because he has to. If he doesn’t obey he will be punished.

An employee obeys because he needs to. He may not enjoy his work, but he does enjoy getting his paycheck to feed and clothe his family.

But a Christian obeys his Heavenly Father because he wants to out of love for Him.

Therefore, we have 2 questions to ask ourselves.

1. Do I keep His commands?

2. Why?

You can use John's teaching above to determine where you are spiritually.

Thankfully, the grace of God is extended to everyone who would receive it! In our humility, we surrender to Him as Lord and Savior, committing to follow Him and obediently doing what He says. It is because we experience His love that we choose to obey and it is through our obedience that He is made manifest in the world today. Are you flying?

Death by Wisteria

Driving through the south this time of year truly opens your eyes to the beauty of God's creation.  What once appeared dead is now budding and blooming.  Trees, flowers, shrubs, pollen, allergies...  Still, one cannot escape the beauty.

As I drove Caleb to school this morning, there is one part of the road with wisteria growing on both sides - kind of drooping over the road.  The lavender bunches of flowers were beautiful.  There is that part of me that might even say, "I want to grow wisteria!"

Wisteria is a climbing vine that originates in Asia and was introduced to the southeastern United States (kind of like kudzu, but that is another story).  You can even buy it on Amazon as an ornamental plant.  So, how did the wisteria plant get to the point of hanging over the road?

Wisteria is a climbing vine, so it requires a "host" of sorts.  It climbs the trunk of a tree, out the limbs and blooms.  The result is spectacular...at the cost of the tree.  The vine wraps itself around the limbs to such a degree, it prevents them from growing and producing their own fruit.  It strangles the life out of the limbs!  BUT, the clumps of flowers give the appearance of life. Bummer.

Sin is the wisteria of our lives.  It looks attractive and lively, but it is death to the host.  When we choose a life of sin, we exchange the fruit of righteousness for a temporary pleasure that sucks the life out of us.  We can try to ignore it, but the result is the same. Don't be fooled by appearances!

What is the remedy? Cut out the vine. And keep cutting it out, because it is relentless.

Colossians 3:5-10 "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."