“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD” (Psalm 119:1).
If only…
What would it look like to walk blamelessly? Honestly, I can’t even imagine. I mean, it’s okay if I compare myself to the people around me. Obviously, compared to them I’m in a much better place, but (on second thought) that doesn’t make me blameless before the Lord. Honestly, my comparison to them sounds rather judgy, and that’s not a good thing according to Jesus.
Then, I hear the words, “Make every effort…” These words from Jesus, Paul, Peter, and the writer of Hebrews are undeniably etched into my head and heart. The problem is that there are days that I struggle with making any effort (perhaps I’m alone in this).
To be blameless according to the Law of the Lord is to walk in sync with God. Because I cannot do this perfectly, there are two things that I need to do. First, I rely wholly on the grace of God so that, in Christ, I am blameless. Second, I make every effort to make my position in Christ Jesus a reality in my daily life. This follows the Greatest Commandment and the Golden Rule (variation on the same theme), and it means that I walk in the Law of love. Look at a few of the verses that talk about the effort we are to make:
• “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door…” (Luke 13:24)
• “Make every effort to do what leads to peace…” (Romans 14:19)
• “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy…” (Hebrews 4:11)
• “Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him (2 Peter 3:14)
We live in a world that is quick to find fault, it doesn’t matter which side of any issue we are on. What would happen if we committed ourselves to being disciples of Jesus Christ (not just verbally) by making effort to follow the steps of Jesus? I encourage that we revisit a classic, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP. This is a powerful work by a man (Deitrich Bonhoeffer),who gave his life by loving Jesus and those the Lord brought into his life. He walked blamelessly, not sinlessly, according to the law of the Lord. The words of his story are fresh as I re-read the book that I last looked at years ago.
There's so much more to share of God's amazing grace and our call to discipleship. Later...
God bless you.