It is VERY hard to actually do what you say you believe. There are very few people who do not struggle with this. I can say I love my wife and yet, when I am in the middle of a conflict with her, I am unwilling to do those things that reveal I love my wife. A man can profess to be adamantly opposed to gay marriage, until that man finds out his own son has "come out of the closet," and suddenly, that man's convictions are no more. One can declare his love for Jesus profusely, but when one's life is on the line, suddenly denials come. Why does this happen? There is a disconnect with what we believe, say, and do.
Peter understood this oh so well:
Peter understood this oh so well:
But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me." (Luke 22:33-34)
If this can happen to Peter, it can happen to me. I can say I fully believe in Jesus, in His Word, and in His gospel, but when there is a cost to my belief, then I am left with a choice, follow Jesus and bear the cost of forego Jesus. Of course, the "easier" road is to forego Jesus. So many "Christians" say they will even go to prison for Christ, and yet, they won't put Jesus over their own children's successes. People say they follow the Jesus of the cross and yet make their career their life. The disconnect is very real.
Jesus warned against this heart in Matthew 21:28-32:
Jesus warned against this heart in Matthew 21:28-32:
What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go intothe kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, andyou did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
If you follow Jesus, you might see both sons in you sometimes. But the follower of Jesus realizes this, recognizes how hypocritical one can be, and how much one does need a Savior. So for the follower of Christ, the good news is not that we always obey Him, but that in Jesus and not in our works, we always obey Him. Now that is a really good news.