A Thought

Jesus said, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”  Matthew 19:29-30 NKJV

Jesus is clear in this passage, and in the context of the passage, that following Him means much more than simply knowing His name.  To follow Him is to devote oneself to the path of righteousness; that is, doing right things as He showed us in His ministry.  If we allow Him to be “first” rather than ourselves and our ways and our own desires (that is, if we put ourselves “last” on our to-do list), then those who devote themselves to Him will be “first” when the Day of the Lord is upon us.

This path is not easy.  It was not easy during His time on this earth, and it is no easier today.  We have duties and responsibilities to which we must attend, and these things take a lot of time and effort and resources; and very few of these things are directly related to our missional responsibilities and opportunities.  This is why we need the Church and, more importantly, why we need to be the Church in a world gone mad.  We need the encouragement of the Word proclaimed (even if it sometimes stings a little, and even when we do not always agree with the proclamation!), we need to attend to the Sacraments of the Church, and we need the encouragement and the fellowship of our fellow disciples; for when we “leave” everything (and I do not think “leaving” means “abandonment” in this context) within the community of faith, we entrust to the community the care of those things just as others entrust to us – thus we actually gain so much more!

This is the promise of the Covenant.  This is the Promise of Christ.

Blessings,

Michael