I Shook His Hand Once

There's a scene in the movie Lawrence of Arabia in which a reporter tries to get quotes from passersby about T.E. Lawrence. One man says, "He was a great man..." The reporter asks, "Did you know Major Lawrence?" The man replies, "I shook his hand once." He admired Lawrence and he shook his hand, but, he admitted, he never actually knew him.

There's a big difference between shaking hands and sharing hearts. 

Jesus described a scene where the same sort of interaction will happen. He was passing through from one city to another, teaching and preaching as He went, headed toward Jerusalem. Headed toward the cross.

His journey was deadly serious because His destination was deadly serious.

Someone in the crowd asked a serious question. "Are there just a few who are being saved?" 

Jesus, on His way to make the ultimate sacrifice in an effort to save everyone, gave a cryptic answer. 

"Strive to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." 

He described a terrible scene. The head of the house will close the door (metaphorically speaking of God the Father) and many people will knock on the door, desperate to get inside. "Open up," they will demand. The head of the house will say, "I do not know you."

The desperate people will justify themselves by saying, "We ate and drank in Your presence." 

Being in the same restaurant where someone ate and drank, even being at the same table where they ate and drank, is not the same as knowing them, being friends with them, being family. 

"You taught in our streets," they will insist. 

Being in the same town as the teacher is not the same as being a disciple of the teacher.

Just yesterday, I attended the I-22 signage ceremony. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves was there. Senator Roger Wicker was there. They both "taught in our streets." I spoke directly to neither man. I personally know neither man. The fact of our proximity while they spoke in no way indicates a personal relationship between us.

In that same way, attending a church where Jesus is proclaimed does not indicate a personal relationship with Him. Attending a Bible study and learning about what Jesus taught does not indicate a personal relationship with Him. The only thing that qualifies as a personal relationship is... a personal relationship. 

The only thing that qualifies us as disciples is that we follow the Master.

One day, time will end. The door of heaven will close and there will be some, Jesus said, who thought proximity would be an adequate substitute for relationship, for discipleship. It will not.  

The time to follow is now. The only One to follow is Jesus. 

"Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able... And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last." Luke 13:24, 29-30 nasb

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In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Removing the Callus, Refillable Nespresso capsules,  The New Normal, The Blessing Disguised as Coincidence, The Blessing of Protection, and Becoming a Writer: Cover Reveal.

The most read post of the past week: Removing the Callus.

Here's the link to The Clay Papers, available as an e-book for personal use or to send as a gift for only 99 cents. 

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photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#disciple #JesusChrist #followHim #relationship, #TheClayPapers

A visit at Martha' House, part 16: The good share

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 NASB)

Jesus has such lovely manners! He could have slammed Martha with condemnation for her manner of address, her irritation, her attitude toward her sister, but He did none of those. Instead, he talked about the good choice Mary had made, and did it without really mentioning Martha's specific choice. 

Mary, he said, had chosen the "good part", and that is the part I want to choose, as well. The word translated here as "good" is agathos and it is used to indicate good or useful. The word translated as "part" is meris and means "a part of the whole". Vine's describes the word as "a share, as of an inheritance". Putting the two words together, we find that agathos meris indicates the "best part" or the "best share of the inheritance". Thayer translates the two words together as a phrase meaning "the good part, which insures salvation to him who chooses it". Mary's choice gave her something very valuable, didn't it?

Of all the things the two women could have chosen that day, all the parts of the visit, Mary chose the one part that would give her salvation from the consequences of her sin and eternal life, as well. Mary's choice is even more appealing when we realize what Martha's choice netted for her. At the end of all her busyness, she probably had a clean house and a big meal, as well as an angry, frustrated heart and a very grumpy attitude, but no time spent with Jesus, no peace, no joy. This dichotomy of choice is true in my own life, as well. When I choose to spend time with Jesus, I find peace and joy in His presence, as well as direction for my day. When I choose the way of Martha, I find that same grumpy attitude that she found. Being busy makes the day go faster, and that sometimes seems like a good thing to me. Being busy and grumpy, however, is not. 

What I want to do, what I must do, is choose the path of Mary, who made time with her Lord the priority of her life, above all others, for I want what Mary gained. Dear ones, you, too, have a choice to make. Will you choose the path of Mary? Will you choose the path that leads to eternal life, to joy and peace? 

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB)

Hear the words of Jesus. The wide, broad gate looks easier and more sensible, He said, but it is the way of the world, and leads only to destruction. It is that narrow gate, the road less traveled, that Mary chose, and it is the one that, though narrow and more difficult, you and I must choose, as well, for it is the path that leads to eternal life.

{There is one more phrase in this section that is so beautiful I'm saving it for tomorrow, so be sure to check back.}