by Ron Boatwright<\/p>\n
Many people want to know what the bare minimum is they can get by with in their lives. Additionally, some Christians aim to maintain a minimal level of spiritual engagement. But does God allow a bare minimum? Jesus says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength<\/em>” (Mark 12:30). If we really love God, we will want to do all we can.<\/p>\n Some may ask, “How many times a week do I have to go to church?”, or “How much do I have to give?”, or “How much do I have to do?” This is the wrong attitude. Jesus says, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’<\/em>” (Luke 17:10). If we try to get by with the bare minimum in our spiritual lives, we will most likely be horribly surprised on Judgment Day when we hear the Lord say, “Depart from Me” because we have not faithfully done the will of the “Father in heaven<\/em>” (Matthew 7:21-23). It will be too late then. It will be final. Can we do too much for the Lord? No!<\/p>\n We must do the most we can for the Lord. We must “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord<\/em>” (I Corinthians 15:58). Our number one priority in this life must be to go to Heaven when this life is over. God “is a rewarder of those, who diligently seek Him<\/em>” (Hebrews 11:6). But we must diligently seek God if we expect to receive the reward of Heaven. The Bible says, “Therefore, brethern, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure<\/em>” (II Peter 1:10). But we must be “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God<\/em>” (Hebrews 12:15). We can definitely fall from the grace of God even though Satan says we can’t.<\/p>\n What about those who are lukewarm? Jesus says, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth<\/em>” (Revelation 3:16). Those who are lukewarm make Jesus sick at His stomach. But Jesus promises, “Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life<\/em>” (Revelation 2:10).<\/p>\n Let’s make sure we go to Heaven. Nothing is as important.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Ron Boatwright Many people want to know what the bare minimum is they can get by with in their lives. Additionally, some Christians aim to maintain a minimal level of spiritual engagement. But does God allow a bare minimum? Jesus says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[511],"class_list":["post-92076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-apathy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53299,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/may-i-or-must-i\/","url_meta":{"origin":92076,"position":0},"title":"“May I?” or “Must I?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 4:1-12 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Romans 15:4 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As we read through our Bibles, it doesn\u2019t take long notice how differently the Old Law is presented in comparison to the New Law. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Old Law contains many regulations that spell out, some times in detail, what a person could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29067,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/worry-worry-worry\/","url_meta":{"origin":92076,"position":1},"title":"Worry, Worry, Worry","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Joshua V. Best Everyone knows the signs: sleepless nights, sick stomachs, mental breakdowns, deep depression, hiding away, high blood pressure. turning to drugs and alcohol, etc... These are indicators an individual has fallen victim to his own worry. Worry eats people alive, and Christians are not immune. It touches\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/worry-150x300.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":66002,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/using-our-god-given-abilities\/","url_meta":{"origin":92076,"position":2},"title":"Using Our God-Given Abilities","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bret Miller Think on These Things, Vol 55, No. 1, January-March 2024 In Matthew 24, Jesus is asked about the signs of the end of the age. 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Whether it was cloth, wood, stone, spices, oil, or gold, Scripture repeatedly says, \"They brought it.\" In fact, they brought so much that they had more than enough\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":515,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-i-do-all-the-commandments-when-will-i-do-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":92076,"position":4},"title":"If I do all the commandments, when will I do enough?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 14, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If I do all the commandments, when will I do enough? Answer: In asking this question, you have started off in the wrong direction. Essentially you have asked what is the minimum that I can do to be pleasing to God. Yet God doesn\u2019t want our minimum effort. 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