There are some teachings in the Bible that are hard to understand, and others that are hard to live by. However, the Lord gave us a mandate that does not allow us to pick and choose which teachings we want to accept and which ones we do not. As we read in Matthew 28:18-20:

 

     And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me

     in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

     baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

     teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo,

     I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

 

 

To summarize, because He has been given "all authority," we are to go and make disciples of all nations, by teaching them to observe all that He commanded. This is an all-inclusive mandate. It is the Lord's obvious intention to return all of creation to His ultimate authority.

 

However, we are not fit to go forth with this great commission unless He is the Lord of our entire lives. This is not to imply that we must be perfect before He can use us, but how can we go forth teaching others to observe all that He commanded, if we are not devoted to such obedience? Do we live our lives under His authority? Or do we like to teach about it while continuing to live for ourselves, doing our own thing? Do we even know all that He commanded?

 

This is obviously a tall order, and the first thought that would come to many of us might be, how could we even begin to find the time to accomplish all of this? We should first ask ourselves, what do we do that is more important than this? If we are in fact redeemed, we have been bought with a price and we no longer belong to ourselves, but to Him. Those who have been redeemed are no longer to live for themselves, but for the One who redeemed them.

 

First, we must come to know all that He has commanded before we can go forth and do it. Did you know if you read just two chapters of the New Testament every day, you will read through it entirely three and one half times a year? If you have been a Christian for twenty years and began reading just two chapters in the New Testament every day, you would have read it through seventy times! You would not only know very well all that the Lord commanded, but His Word would be flowing through you continually, washing and transforming you by the renewing of your mind.

 

If you added reading just two chapters of the Old Testament every day, you would read it entirely through every year. This would also give you an overview of the entire unfolding plan of God every year. As we are told in I Corinthians 10:11, concerning the events of the Old Testament, "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." They were written for our instruction, so we must need them.

 

Now we may think this is a lot of reading, and yes it could take thirty to forty-five minutes every day. That seems like a lot, but how much time did you spend watching television today? The average American spends between two and four hours a day in front of the television. Is that more important than learning what the King expects of us?

 

What would happen if we spent just as much time feeding our souls as we do our flesh every day? Do we give the King of kings even less time than we do our stomachs? The lives of most Christians would be radically transformed if they just spent as much time each day cleaning up their inner man as they do washing and grooming their physical bodies. Which is more important?

 

The truth is we give time to the things that are really important to us. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." Many call Him "Lord," but how many really live under His Lordship?

 

We tend to think of the Lord as we do other human authorities who compel us to do what they say or suffer immediate consequences. However, we are in the age when the Lord is calling those who will serve Him because they love Him and they love the truth.

 

It says in Ecclesiastes 8:11, "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil." Jesus is the Lord above all rule, authority, and dominion, but for the purpose of revealing hearts, He has chosen not to execute judgment quickly in this age. Because we are able to get away with things without swift punishment, many drift in their devotion and obedience. This reveals our true hearts.

 

The reverse is also true. The rewards of righteousness are seldom immediate. Therefore, many drift from righteous devotion. This also reveals our true heart. Even so, the judgment day will surely come. As both Jesus and Paul explained, it will come upon the world like birth pangs upon a woman in labor. That is, as we get closer to the birth, the contractions will become more intense and more frequent.

 

We have been given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We build our lives on that kingdom by obedience. It is too late to start building our houses on the rock after the storms have come, just as we are told in Psalm 32:6, "Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach him." As our King Himself admonished in Luke 6:46-49:

 

     "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

     "Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them,

     I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house,

     who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose,

     the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it,

     because it had been well built.

     "But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man
      who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the
      torrent burst against it  and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of
      that house was great."