Uncommen: Holy ConnectionSample

One Reigning Commitment

Christ shares in John 15:9 “Abide in My Love,” and states very clearly what this means: the believer rests his life or her life on the love of Christ. We know we are loved because of the Cross of Jesus Christ. As we live the Christian life, it’s easy for distractions to come in. We can start to love other things more than Christ. We can love the things we own, a vacation we look forward to, a job promotion, financial security more than we love Christ.

We must remind ourselves daily of the love of Christ by what has been done on the Cross. We must remind ourselves because, as humans, it's so natural and easy for us to wander and forget. The act done on the cross is something we should always remember, especially because of how powerful it was and is today. Remaining in Christ’s love comes from an evident expression: Simple obedience. That is the evidence of our love of Christ: the fruit of our lives.

The end of Romans 8 is one of my favorites declarations of God's power and our confidence through what Christ has done on our behalf. It's verse after verse about God's love, strength, power, and sovereignty over everything. That view of God should change how we live. If we love Christ, we will treasure our wives as Christ loves the Church. He laid his life down for it. If we love our children, we will provide for them and care for them as Christ cares for them. 

Luke 14:25-27 says that our commitment to Christ will reign over all things, even family. Meaning that in respect to how much we love and work for God, it might even appear that we hate our family. Surely, we aren't supposed to hate our families, but it's showing how earnest we should be about following Christ and striving to be more like Him. When things become a distraction to our love for Christ, we are also called to cut those things away so that we might remain connected to Christ in heart and mind.

UNCOMMEN Challenge: What are the things you know you should cut away that are distracting you from staying connected and obeying Christ? Is Christ number one if your life?

Scripture References:
John 15: 9
Romans 5: 5
Romans 8: 31-39
Luke 14: 25-27