“He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him
not”.
“They are not of the world even as I am not of the world”. John 1:10, 17:16.

As we enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and marvel at the
Super-intelligence that designed, created, and upholds the natural order
around us and precision within us, we realize that man also has been granted
creative power.
Within God’s world man has fashioned his own “worlds”. There is the
entertainment world, the music world, the art world, the sports world, the
corporate world and many other so-called worlds. None are evil in themselves
but they are all tainted by man’s greed and corruption.
With all his “progress” much of modern man’s world is filled with
violence, pain, sorrow and death. He stubbornly clings to the vain hope that
somehow, eventually, he will solve his problems through new and more
advanced “programs”, improved standards of living, better education, etc,
etc. When is the world going to learn that all forms of human empowerment
and prosperity have never, and can never, change human nature? (If any of
these efforts really worked why are the rich and famous notorious for their
abuse of drugs and alcohol, and revolving-door relation ships?)
The Bible alone provides the accurate diagnosis and the powerful
cure for all man’s woes. The problem is spiritual, and the solution is
spiritual.
Man is born without the life of God in his soul. As long as he
chooses to remain in that state he is doomed to his wretched spiritual
condition. Jesus lived the perfect life in this world for us. He then
offered that life on the cross taking upon Himself the punishment we deserve
for resisting and rejecting God’s love and rightful Lordship over us. For
those who repent, and surrender to His will for their lives, there is the
experience of a life of love, joy, and peace that is not of this world.
“And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”
I John 5:4.

The Irrevocable Standard

Most church members today are more concerned about being judged
intolerant, narrow-minded, or old-fashioned than being guilty of continually
grieving the Holy Spirit and neglecting or rejecting Christ’s standard of
commitment.

With skillful double-think and double-talk we have managed to
interpret away Jesus’ clear call. When He saw “a great multitude with Him”
He knew that they didn’t get it.
“. He turned and said unto them, If any come to me and hate
not his father and mother, and wife and children and brethren and
sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my
disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me cannot be my disciple”. Luke 14:25 – 27

We know these words must be interpreted as “comparative”. The rest
of the Bible and indeed the general teachings of Christ make it impossible
to believe the Savior was advocating actual hate of loved – ones. But there
is a clear implicit word here. It is the message of an irrevocable standard.

The call is for a deep and radical transformation of human desire
and affection. It tells us that there can be an attitude and spirit which is
so committed to an absolute obedience to Christ that all other loyalties are
measured in its light. In other words, in the midst of all our duties and
obligations to those to whom and for whom we are responsible, our
undisturbed relationship to Jesus must never be compromised. This is all
about attitude and feeling and the direction of our affection.

The question is, do I really want fully to please the Lord? Is it my
dominant desire, above all, and controlling all other desires, to please Him
at any cost? We cannot be perfect but we can ask the Lord for a perfect
intention.

Do I trust Him to ask of me, or take from me, only those things
which I should not have? This trust is the key to the full blessing of God.
If we are hesitant, which is natural, we can begin by asking the Lord for a
willing heart.