Shift #2

Shift My Allegiances

By Louie Marsh, 6-12-2022

 

Cartoons to open, last one Hate Sunday Mornings.

 

Allegiance = loyalty or devotion to some person, group, cause, or the like.

 

Synonym - Commitment

 

To Shift My Allegiances I Need To

 

1) SEE IT as the vital issue it is.

 

“33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, ESV)

 

• Jesus says this should be my FIRST PRIORITY!

 

2) KNOW WHY it’s a critical issue.

 

 

 

• Because my commitments take my time & energy they shape & control:

 

• My

 

• My SELF

 

• My SERVING JESUS

 

3) ADOPT  the Jesus Approach to commitments.

 

“33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, ESV)

 

Kingdom = CHRIST’S RULE IN MY LIFE

 

Righteousness = LIVING THAT RULE IN A CHRIST-LIKE MANNER

 

4) LIVE OUT the Kingdom of God.

 

you should live in a way that proves you belong to the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 (GW)

 

Choose my commitments from a Kingdom Perspective

 

• My Nation
• Other human institutions
• Relationships
• Feelings/experiences/ideals

 

Example of Missing the Point!

A few years ago I read a pledge of allegiance that a lady in Santa Barbara had written called  “A moral rearmament pledge worldwide.”  It reads:

I pledge allegiance to the Ten Commandments

And, to the humanity for which they stand;

One world united in harmony,

With liberty and justice for all.

She had placed an asterisk beside the words Ten Commandments, and at the bottom of the page, the asterisk noted these words:  “Ten Commandments or the moral equivalent in each of the world’s religious traditions.”

 

5) Accept that making commitments is a MORAL/SPIRITUAL choice.

 

“21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light…! 24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:21,24, ESV)

 

When I deliberately overload my schedule or start cutting back on what I do for God to do some other things I’ve taken on, I’m doing one thing – SINNING.

 

It’s a sin because it hurts me (physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally), it hurts others and it hurts the ministries God has called me too.

 

6) REMEMBER – Kingdom living is a constant activity.

 

But be seeking first the kingdom and His righteousness, and these things, all of them, shall be added to you.  Matthew 6:33 (WuestNT)