Are you open to Giving up your Rights?

Matthew 10:40-42

How much stock do you put into the promises of God in the Bible, or maybe a better question to the church of 2014 is; do you and I hold to the promises in the Bible?  Some of those promises are made to God’s chosen people, so the question must be asked, does that remove those promises from applying to me as a follower of Christ?  Turn in your Bibles to Galatians 3:24-29, “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”  And the question must be asked; what promise?  The promises made to Abraham that allowed you to become the same as a son of Abraham, and by putting on Christ, an heir of God.  But it is by faith in Christ one is justified and is no longer a slave, but a son with full rights as an heir to God’s vast treasures.

Jesus was telling each of us who lose our life for His sake, or maybe better stated in todays understanding; give up our rights and obey the Holy Spirit’s leadership in our life.  This is what is in store for such a follower of Christ; “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42)

When the jackpot in the lottery gets into the upper millions, people come out of the woodwork to buy a chance at winning the big reward.  And if you follow the stories of what comes next in most of their lives, it is not good.  But when one lives with a desire to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, the rewards are of great value, rewards like love, joy, and peace, and life abundantly.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice