If a man is
simply dutiful, he can be dutiful without devotion. If a man is devoted, he
will be dutiful in life, not for the sake of the task that has to be done, or
for recognition, but because the object of his devotion is the very heartbeat
which carries him through that life. If a man has been registered to vote, he
may very well be called upon for the task of jury duty. The summons to serve is
usually followed by exasperation. The tragedy is that many who label themselves
followers of Jesus Christ, who claim that they have a real relationship with him,
who assert that he, alone, is their Lord, have begun to treat his commandments
like being called to the task of jury duty. There is little enthusiasm for the
Lord’s work. There is rarely genuine love shown to people. People work simply
because there is a task to be done. However, this is not what real faith in
Jesus Christ looks like. If you truly have faith in Jesus Christ, you are not
simply dutiful, but devoted. Casual faith is a falsehood—a lie from the mouth
of Satan that seeps into the hearts of sinful men. For many, Jesus has become
an aspect of their life. The problem is, he never settles in the role of an
aspect. He desires to be your life. Many
will let Jesus influence their lives, but he does not desire to be an influence—but
the transformer of your life. When the Holy Spirit poured out and filled the
hearts of the people at Pentecost, do you suppose that one man said to the
other, “Well, I guess we should probably start speaking in tongues…if not, I
won’t hear the end of it. Let’s get this over with?” After Pentecost, when the
believers were gathered together, do you think that they protested that the
apostles’ teaching took over an hour? Did they grumble about the staleness of
the bread? Did they fall asleep in the middle of the prayer? No! It says that
awe came upon every soul! Awe is a reverent fear of something extremely
powerful. They were filled with awe at the coming of the Spirit, and at the
witnessing of his work. This drove them to fellowship. Today, the word fellowship
has become hijacked as the word used to describe potluck dinners and
casseroles. Fellowship is a devotion to one another and genuine like-mindedness.
They became so devoted to the work of the kingdom that they sold their
possessions and belongings and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had
need. Day after day, they attended temple together. They broke bread in their
homes and received the food with generous and glad hearts. They praised God for
everything. What’s amazing to me is to live within a culture that feels that
they must program something to see men come to Christ. These believers saw
numbers added daily. Not through programming or mindless duty—but because they
were devoted to Christ and to one another. So, the question must be raised in
your own life—are you devoted or simply dutiful (if even that)? I believe one must be radical to be a follower of Christ. Not in the sense of violence or political takeover. But rather, that one must be utterly and completely sold out to Christ and His purpose.
