Christ Makes All Things New

Previous: The Temptation of Christ

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST AS A PODCAST.

This is Day 33 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.

Everyone who has kids or anyone who has ever been a kid realizes that the younger they are the more they get away with. No parent would demand that their two-year-old do his or her own laundry. A baby can cry and scream in a way that we'd never allow a 10-year-old to do. And a 10-year-old can get away with acting in ways we would be appalled by if our 18-year-old acted that way. As children grow older and wiser we expect more from them. God treated humanity in much the same way.

In the beginning, God gave Adam and Eve only one command, "Don't eat from that tree!" Which of course the devil tempted them into disobeying. But God did write a moral code on our hearts so that there were some things we knew not to do such as murder. And then God codified these laws into Ten Commandments. He kept expecting more and more out of people as humanity matured. Finally, with the coming of Christ, it was time to teach humanity exactly what God wanted. Like a boy growing into manhood and his dad sitting him down for the talk, Jesus explained to us what was expected from us, what our reward would be if we obeyed, and what our punishment would be if we did not.

Jesus proclaimed that the two commandments God cared most about were loving God with all of our heart, mind, body, and soul, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. All of God's commandments flow from these two. How do we love God with our entire being? To start with we must obey Him. Jesus tells us that you can't say you love Him if you do not obey Him. We must be humble and faithful. We should seek the kingdom of God before the material pleasures of this world. We should love as He loves, at least try. That means we should forgive everyone who wrongs us. If someone strikes us on one side of our face turn the other side. We should stop thinking of ourselves all of the time and put ourselves beneath others and serve them instead of expecting them to serve us. And that leads us to the second great commandment.

Jesus said we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Who is our neighbor? Everyone, even our enemy. We should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We should do whatever anyone else asks of us joyfully. We should feed the poor, visit the sick, and take care of the orphans and widows. We should always wish for the good of everyone else. Yes, that means be happy for your coworker when he or she gets the promotion you wanted. That means be happy for the other athlete when he or she wins the trophy you wanted. These are very difficult things to do, but that is what God expects of those who mature in our faith.

But Jesus tells us that God offers so much in return. We must suffer in this world because of sin, but do not forget, Jesus suffered worse than any of us will. He was hungry and tired just like us. And He was beaten and nailed to a cross. But the pain of this world will not last forever. God will raise those who love Him from death to a new life with Him where there will be no hunger or sadness. And He tells us that the worse you have it in this world the better you will have it in the next.

Jesus promised that the meek shall inherit the Earth. The poor shall be blessed for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Those who mourn shall be comforted and those who hunger for justice shall be satisfied. Those who are merciful will themselves receive mercy and those with a clean heart will see God. Peacemakers, those who are persecuted for justice sake, and those who are persecuted for their belief in Christ, shall all be blessed.

Christ makes all things new. He is the Way the Truth and the Life.

But those without Christ have no life. Those who do not love God, who disobey Him and follow their own hearts instead of His will, go on to judgment and eternal damnation separated from God. This is not a pleasant thought. Christ tells us that it's better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be thrown into a river than to do evil. God loves us and wants all of us to be saved. Christ died for everyone, and anyone, even the most wicked among us, can repent and turn to Him. But for those who refuse His offer because they believe they are too smart, or just because they love themselves too much to cast their crown at His feet, Hell awaits.

I pray that all of you choose life with Christ and follow Him.

Next: Following Christ is Hard.

R.C. VanLandingham is a Catholic homeschool dad just trying to make it through this life and into the next! He has written a Christian children's fantasy series about a boy named Peter Puckett!