When being grateful isn’t enough …

Sometimes being grateful isn’t enough.

You likely have experienced a situation where someone has done something of such significance for you there wasn’t an adequate means of showing appreciation, and all you could do was say thanks. In moments like that, a simple yet gracious “thank you” is sufficient, and usually received as such.

But when it comes to responding appropriately to Jesus Christ, being grateful isn’t enough.

It’s not enough to simply say “thanks” to Jesus, then go your own way in life.

He made your life. He sustains your life. He purchased your life by the sacrifice of His own so that you may have eternal life. So He owns your life. For all that, and more, being grateful isn’t enough. Luke 9:24-25 records the words of Jesus as He directly addresses what is the appropriate response from us toward Him, “24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”

Jesus gets very specific about how we should respond to Him in verse 23: “Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me’.”

Notice Jesus doesn’t make vague suggestions or toss out recommendations for responding to Him. He states clearly and directly what we must do in order to be one of His followers. After what He has done for us, it is no longer acceptable to continue on with life “as usual.” And regardless of how heartfelt it might be, a “thank you” isn’t enough.

We can never repay Jesus for what He has done, and continues to do, for us. But we can respond appropriately with our lives. Are you responding according to the clear direction Jesus has given, or are you trying to get by with a thank you?

Scotty