...wearing

I have two friends who own Princeton University sweatshirts. Al has one because he put in four very challenging years at that university and he graduated from there. The other day, I met my friend, Dave, at the grocery store, and he had his Princeton University sweatshirt on. I said, "Dave, I didn't know you went to Princeton?"   He informed me that he had bought the shirt at a discount store for $12 and he said, "Oh, I didn't go to Princeton, I just wear the shirt!"

In Luke 6:46, Jesus says, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do the things that I say?" These folks had the right vocabulary; they knew to say, "Lord."  In fact, they even knew to say it twice, "Lord, Lord."  But something had happened to their commitment. It was just words.

My friend, Dave, who had just bought the shirt at the discount store, hadn't really paid the price that goes with identifying with Princeton. When Al, who graduated from there, wears the shirt, it's backed up by years of sacrifice and work.  There are a lot of people who are proud to wear Jesus' "shirt", but they're not paying the price of living consistently for Him. They've got the "shirt"; but they don't have the life that backs it up.

Alexander the Great was trying a young soldier in his tent who had been accused of cowardice, and he brought this young man in and he said, "Now, young man, what were you accused of?" And the soldier said, "Sir, desertion in battle." And Alexander leaned forward a little bit. He said, "What is your name?" The young man hesitantly said, "Alexander, Sir." And at that point the General leaped to his feet, he grabbed that young man by his collar, and he pulled him up nose to nose and he said, "Young man, either you change your life, or you change your name!"

You are carrying, as a Christian, the name of Christ - the holy name of Christ - on your life. Make sure your life backs up the name you wear.  You see, it's possible you have religion and you have church, but you've missed Christ - because there's never been that moment when you have made Him personally yours, when you personalized what He did on the cross. And every day you wait puts you deeper and deeper into the spiritual danger zone.

As you are reading this today, you really need to evaluate what you truly believe.  You're "wearing the shirt"!!!  You've know all the right words, you've believe all the right beliefs, and maybe you've even said it publicly. But you have never surrendered your heart and your will to Jesus Christ. That reality can be concealed until you see your Lord.

Today tell Him, "Jesus, I want to move You from my head to my heart. I don't want to just believe "about" You, I want to believe in You; I want to commit myself to You.  I want to totally surrender my heart adn will to you!!! 

Today, I encourage you to put aside just "wearing the shirt" and let Jesus become part of your heart, not just your spiritual wardrobe.

-ron hutchcraft