In All Things,
Put God First
by Chris Machamer
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If
any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me
(Matthew 16:24). Jesus put forth two requirements
necessary to be able to follow Him and
be His disciple—deny self and take up your
cross. Yet many Christians have let those things
become stumbling blocks in their walk with
God when they should be steppingstones to
becoming more like Jesus and having greater
reality in God and His power.
Many have declared to have forsaken all to
follow Jesus, but their walk with the Lord is the
same as it was yesterday. They are just treading
spiritual waters instead of launching out by faith
into the deepness of God. They are not moving
closer to Him or coming into more reality of
divinity. They are not receiving more power with
God so they can do more work for Him.
Have you forsaken all to follow Jesus? The
Bible says, Examine yourselves, whether
ye be in the faith; prove your own selves
(II Corinthians 13:5). You must prove your life
with the Word of God.
To be like Jesus and follow in His footsteps,
you have to surrender all to Him and
do as He commands. Jesus gave all when He
laid aside His power and glory in Heaven to
come to Earth to suffer and die for the sins
of the human race. God the Father gave all
when His whole heart was nailed to a tree
for you and me; and now, the Holy Spirit is
giving all. Since the Day of Pentecost, He
has been striving to gather together a Bride
made fit and ready to meet Jesus when He
returns on Rapture Day. Till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians
4:13).
Grow Up in the Lord
Many Christians are not true examples of
Jesus because they have never grown up to
become a spiritual man or woman in Christ.
They act childish when they don’t get their
way. When people hurt their feelings, they
refuse to speak to them, carry a grudge or have
an unforgiving spirit. Some argue and fight in
their home, yet they present themselves to the
public in a totally different light.
When some people are persecuted for the
sake of Christ, they either become offended
and break away from the Lord; or they take
matters into their own hands even though the
Bible says, Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord (Romans 12:19).
So many Christians act like spiritual children
instead of acting like Jesus. Paul said, When I
was a child, I spake as a child, I understood
as a child, I thought as a child: but when I
became a man, I put away childish things
(I Corinthians 13:11). Notice the process Paul
illustrated in that verse. When a person speaks
or acts like a child, it is because they have
immature, childish understanding; and that
is the result of immature, childish thinking.
Thinking leads to understanding, and understanding
leads to speaking and actions.
You Need the Mind of Christ
People who claim to be Christians and yet
act so childish have not taken on the mind
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