Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
There was a young boy who had given his mother fits all day. He was active and rambunctious; he wouldn't listen to her orders and did whatever he wanted and had a grand time; she scolded him without effect.
That evening, as she put him to bed and bent over to kiss him, he said, "Mommy, I love you." The mother looked at him and said wistfully, "I sure wish you would show your love more often with your behavior."
This is essentially what Jesus is saying in this passage from Matthew. We may proclaim things on behalf of Jesus, put on a show of our faith, and use his name to justify our actions, but if we're not actually following Jesus's commandments, he's likely to wistfully say to us, "I sure wish you would show your love for me more often by doing the will of my Father."
To obey Jesus, we have to clearly and deeply understand what Jesus is asking of us. Absorbing his life and teachings from the Gospels, we can learn exactly what Jesus wants. What we'll find is that his commands are pretty hard to execute. We need to develop humility, selflessness, and a willingness and ability to go beyond societal norms and our own desires to fulfill his.
As I'm reading through the Gospels slowly this year, I am seeking Jesus's will once again and re-examining my life. I hope and pray that you'll join me in scriptural meditation to discern what Jesus asks of his disciples.
I've mapped out a "Read the Gospels in a Year" slow reading plan to give us more of a chance to consider our compliance to Jesus's teachings and embed them in our hearts. You can download the plan from the home page of CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Don't worry that you're late starting it for 2025; simply start now and cross off a passage a day until this time next year.
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