During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught His disciples many things, but there are several core aspects to the foundation of the life He wants us to live. Here are the top five things God wants you to do with your earthly life:
- Shift your thinking towards God's kingdom.
- Love God wholly.
- Love your neighbor as yourself.
- Live in unity with God and other Christians.
- Make multiplying disciples.
Let's dig into each of these more...
First, let's consider the very first challenge Jesus preached everywhere He went - "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). These are Jesus' first recorded words spoken in scripture, which begs us to pay close attention. Repentance isn't just feeling bad for what we've done and saying sorry. To repent means to change the direction of our thinking which will lead us to change the direction of our entire lives. Jesus essentially said, "Shift your thinking towards the reality of God's kingdom." God's kingdom - the realm of heaven - is not some distant place we'll only encounter in the future on the other side of death. God's kingdom is already here - at hand - within reach! God's kingdom is near and its nature is upside-down from our earthly default setting.
Second, when Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, what usurped any other commandment of the entirety of Scripture, He replied:
The most important is, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:29-30).
We are commanded to love God with every shred of our being, wholly and holding nothing back. The word for "love" (agapao) here means to affectionately revere, promptly obey, and gratefully recognize the benefits we receive. I don't know about you, but I know I have room to grow here - to grow in this way of loving God.
Third, we are to love those around us in the same way we love ourselves. Jesus added this to His reply of the greatest commandment:
The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31).
He uses the same word for "love" (agapao) here that we're to have for our neighbors as we're to have for Him. Do we affectionately revere one another as fellow image-bearers of God (Genesis 1:26-27)? Do we submit to one another, bending our agenda to prioritize others - loving one another sacrificially? Do we gratefully recognize the benefits we receive from others in our midst?
Fourth, Jesus called us to live in unity with Him and with others who follow Him. In John 15, He describes this level of unity like a vine and branches, where it's difficult to see exactly where one ends and the other begins because they are so connected. The lifeblood of the vine (Jesus) flows into the branches (us). Jesus also prays in John 17 that all who follow Him would live in such unity that the world would take notice. That we would be as equally unified as Jesus is with His Father. This unity would be the thing convincing the world that Jesus is the Son of God. Our unity is the thing to change the world! Wow! Does this look like the church at large today? Do we make room for others to be messy or to have disagreements and continue to stay united?
Fifth, Jesus reminded us to lean into the authority He has and has given us as we go make disciples. He didn't say to go make Christian consumers, but to make disciples - life-long students of Christ who completely shift our lives to look like our Teacher (Matthew 28:18-20). Students who go and make more students through a mindset of multiplication. It's not about adding numbers to the pews - it's about multiplying God's kingdom on this earth so that this place looks like heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Jesus had many other things to say, many other things He taught. But these five things jump out as core callings that we simply can't ignore.
What is the Holy Spirit challenging you to do today?
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