10 THINGS THAT CHRISTIANS MUST DO

      In the 5th chapter of Matthew, Jesus called his disciples aside... and begin to teach them about God's kingdom. Life is different in the kingdom of God, he said. Values are different. Attitudes are different, and things are measured in different ways. In the kingdom, he said, those who are last actually win and those who turn the other cheek are honored. In the kingdom of God, he said, those who mourn will be blessed and those who seek God will be blessed.
      He went on to announce other blessings in what is now known as the "beatitudes," but his sermon on the mount went on for three full chapters! It was a long sermon, and in addition to that, Jesus talked about "kingdom living" throughout his ministry... because we are called to live as his people right here on earth. There are many ways in which the kingdom of God differs from the broken world we know,,, but based on his sermon and other things he said, it seems to me that these are some of the things that we are called to do as his community on earth:
1.
We must walk humbly with God... because people who are "full of themselves" or "drunk on their own wine" will not see the kingdom of God;
2.
We must see that we cannot see because there are none as blind as those who cannot see that they are blind. Without God's grace, we are destined to see the world through eyes of self and sin. Without Christ, our vision of who we and our neighbors are... is dim and distorted;
3.
We must mourn for a broken world. We must take time to pray for our broken world... and for the strength to repair our little corner of it. The world is filled with people who are troubled, lost, and empty and with those who are oppressed and abused; and for the strength to do what we can to repair and heal our little corner of it. Everyday, people die in needless ways... and the wounded-ness that comes from all of this sin and death... cries for someone to hear, care, and get involved;
4.
We must seek our God-given vocation. In the theological world, we call it a "calling," but you don't have to be a minister to have a calling. On the contrary, God has equipped each one of us with talents and spiritual gifts... and he has also given us the opportunity to use them for his kingdom here on earth. It may take courage, it may take patience, it may even take preparatory action... but God has a unique work for each one of us;
5.
We must choose faith. We must take a leap of faith because we cannot reason our way to God Reason is not the enemy of faith. God has blessed us with great knowledge and with the ability to solve many problems, but we are not God and we cannot reach God with our own efforts. Indeed, faith goes on where reason falters... and we must choose to believe in things that we cannot explain. After all, the greatest things in life are inexplicable and unmeasurable;
6.
We must be radically inclusive and reach out with utter abandon because there is NO male or female, no young or old, no black or white, no rich or poor, no abled or disabled, no straight or gay ... in Christ. Judgmental and disqualifying barriers are inherently unfaithful;
7.
We must be the salt of the earth and the light of the world because we are the body of Christ on earth. It is our job-our purpose- to give life in all the ways that the world needs life. It is our job to preserve the world... and to flavor it with joy and hope. In Christ, we are the light of the world because there is no other real light!
8.
We must love our neighbors as ourselves... and make forgiving a way of life. As Christians, we must forgive again and again and again... We must forgive until people make fun of us and we feel a little silly about it ourselves ... because God's forgiveness knows no bounds. We must throw our judgments and our scorecards away and immerse ourselves in God's grace alone;
9.
We must trust God and live in the moment alone, letting others carry the burdens of the past and the worries of tomorrow, if they must. We dance with today because today is all that we ever have ... and therefore, we seek God today, we make a decision for Christ today, and we begin to live like a Christian TODAY;
10
Stay the course, Jesus noted. Don't give up. Keep on asking. Keep on praying. Keep on working... to see Christ in others and to "be Christ" to all, especially to the least among us.
   
Everyone who hears my words and acts on them WILL receive the kingdom of heaven! THIS IS WHAT HE PROCLAIMED. LET THOSE WHO HAVE EARS... HEAR. AMEN.