The Next Reformation
How much do you know about Martin Luther (not Martin Luther King Jr, Martin Luther). He was a monk that started the Protestant Reformation. In Luther's day salvation was for sale. You would buy things called indulgences, and the more you paid out, the less time you had to spend in purgatory. Martin Luther, although the unlikely hero, started a revolution (or reformation) when he penned his 95 thesis. The rallying cry was 'By faith alone.' He wanted to break this mold of buying salvation. You can't buy salvation, it is a free gift from God!
Maybe it is time for a new reformation. Maybe it is time that we stop playing games with our faith and started living authentic lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. Hear this, "reformations are not born out of new discoveries. Those are often called cults. Reformations are born out of rediscovering something ancient, something primal. They are born out of primal truths rediscovered, re-imagined, and radically reapplied to our lives." So what is this truth that we need to rediscover? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." We have to be great at this. "We must not be great at things that do not matter." To be clear, nothing else really matters at the end of the day except loving God and following His commands. To be great at something other than loving God is a waste of your time. The call of the next reformation should be, "Love God!"
Everything we do, everything that we are should be an expression of our love for God. The way we do our taxes, the way we study for exams, the way we treat each other, the way we love our spouses should be because of our love for God! This doesn't mean that we will all look the same though. It doesn't mean we will all express our love for God the same way. "Every relationship with God begins the same way: at the foot of the cross. But then our lives become unique expressions of compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy. And no one else can take your place." No one loves God exactly the same way you do, that is why He wants your love!
Each of us has a spiritual love language. The way we express our love for God looks different based on what comes most naturally to us. Some of us show our love for God because compassion pours out of us every second of the day, it is just natural. Others show their love for God by their curiosity, they can't wait to find out more about His creation and praise Him for it. We should do the things that come natural to us! But "sometimes the greatest act of love isn't the one that comes most easily. It's the one that is most difficult or requires the greatest sacrifice." We are called to love God with our heart, soul, mind, AND strength. It isn't an either/or scenario. God wants it all. When we come to a place where we love God with everything we have, a radical transformation will take place within us, our church, our city, and this world. We will start a reformation, and the rallying cry will simply be, "Love God."
Enjoy the Journey
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