Know Jesus / Walk with God

D.U.C.E. (a word that also means "Leader" and comes from an Italian tradition according to the Webster Dictionary). This page will expose many leadership issues. D.U.C.E. is also my personal acronym of my own leadership style. Dedication (1 Peter 1:13-16 same as faithfulness), Unity (Ephesians 4:1-8 same as team work), Courage (John 2:13-21 same as mettle), and Enthusiam (1 Corinthians 9:19-27 same as self- motivation and passion).

DO YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF TRUE OBEDIENCE?

OCT 2011

"I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible." Saint Teresa

This is another challenging thought that I hope brings a fresh revelation of a deeper truth that has been misunderstood by religion for so many years; and as difficult/awkward as it may sound, I hope it will stir your heart, and provoke your reasoning, strong enough, to set yourself free from any extent of religion that may still be within you.

Whenever we use the preposition “for” it implies an objective with a purpose (ej. to run “for” exercise); it has the intention of belonging to (ej. the equipment “for” the US Marines); or it goes with the purpose of or in order to obtain something (ej. medicine “for” the elderly, or a suit “for” alimony); and it is used to express a wish (ej. Oh, “for” a cold drink). With this in mind, we used that common phrase "Jesus died for you" as if He belonged more to us than to His own Father.

Unfortunately, the use of this preposition (“for”) to explain the love Jesus has “for” us is very incompetent to His true Character and relationship towards His Father, and religion has turned a huge romantic tale into a fictitious description of His real PASSION.

I am not minimizing the extraordinary love Jesus has for you and me; but as upsetting and unthankful my next statement may sound to you, you were neither His priority when He faced Calvary! The religious theory that Jesus died “for” you has made most believers live a very loving scene of “He loves ME” (as a soap opera), I am not eliminating the fact that He did die “for” our sins (but even that intention was originated from His Father’s heart) ……but such “He loves Me” theory has sadly obscured (masked) the real intentions behind Jesus’ commitment to Calvary ….and how can we imitate our Lord Jesus if we haven’t appreciate THE WHOLE PICTURE?

I am after something!!
I will make few statements hoping you can feel the heaviness of my own thoughts:

(1.) Our Lord Jesus went to the extreme because He loved doing His Father’s will, regardless of the sacrifice.

(2.) Jesus didn’t die for people, He died because He knew “giving His own Life” would please His Father’s heart (consider the same comparison when young Isaac was placed on the altar of sacrifice by his own father Abraham).

(3.) Our Lord Jesus knew it was only His Father whom would add believers to the understating of what He was doing, and not so much Jesus loving everyone to death (read John 17: 9 “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but “for those you have given me”, “FOR THEY ARE YOURS”).

(4.) Our Lord Jesus asked His Father if it was possible NOT TO GO through the whole ordeal, but if it was THE FATHER’S WILL, then He would accept it.
(I do want to make the emphasis on this last one, where it shows His priority of being obedient to His Father because He loved to do the Father’s will and not so much to prove how much He was able to loved us).

What am I after?
The PASSION of our Lord Jesus Christ was not on the kind of suffering He endured, but on DOING HIS FATHER’S WILL. I strongly believe David demonstrated that same quality and received a title that showed such devotion: “A man after God’s own heart”, but our Heavenly David (Jesus) culminated such devotion with His own life.

Last Thoughts:

Jesus will only love what the Father loves
Jesus will only do what He sees the Father doing
Jesus will only say what He hears the Father saying
Jesus will only move as He sees the Father moving
Jesus became a gift (present) or sacrifice because it was His Father’s will (for God so loved the world – God’s love!!!)
(Our Lord Jesus went to the Cross "for" it was the desire of His Father ...and that speaks of true, and faithful obedience)

Do you have the PASSION to do your Father’s will?
..even if people laugh at you?
..even if He asks you to love or despise the opposite of your own preferences?
..even if He will ask you to die for your enemies?
..even if people misunderstand and wrongly judge you?
…even if you become isolated, cast out, unwanted, unwelcome, and unsolicited?
..even if you have to carry your own Cross?

THAT’S THE REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF IMITATING HIM!

My question is: Why haven’t we seen the whole picture before? I can only say that a real answer demanded real commitment because a demonstration of TRUE OBEDIENCE to God speaks louder than an illustration of ETERNAL AFFECTION from God.

God is with you!