“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.”  (Matthew 18)

Can a Christ-ian understand the deep and rich truths and doctrines of God and forget the most basic and simple of our Lord’s precepts? The answer is, of course.

In Revelation two (2) Christ says, “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my [N]ame’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works…”

In the passage from Revelation we find Christ’s ministers doing what is right, good, and sound.  The ministers dealt with and eshewed evil, listened to claims and doctrines made by professing teachers, claiming they teach in Christ’s Name, “…which say they are apostles and art not…”  These ministers laboured and fainted not and all was done in Christ’s Name and rightly so.  BUT…BUT…BUT or “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee…” says their Lord and Master.

What was their failing? They left and forgot the basics, the first works. These ministers were DOING everything right and DOING it for the sake of Christ, but while they were DOING everything right, they forgot about loving the One they were serving!!!

Let me use an analogy. A parent is planning a huge birthday for a child. The facility is rented, the parents has purchased all the balloons and party supplies. The entertainment is booked, all the quests have been invited and have RSVP’d. Everything is ready and set. Everyone is in their places, the food is prepared, but the parent forgot to pick the child up from school.  You see? the parent forgot the child while doing everything for the child.

In the paragraph above we see what we often do and can fall into.  We can be so busy serving our Lord and forget to love HIm and bask in His love during our service to Him. I heard about a man that said, “If their isn’t work in Heaven, I don’t want to go.”  This is as ignorant as saying, “I’ll be happy with a shack on the backside of Heaven.”  It is as ignorant as the sinners are when they say, “I’ll party with my fiends in hell.”  Reader, if you are not loving the Lord while serving the Lord, you are in the flesh and all your work will burn like wood, hay, and stubble.

Reader, if you are not worshiping the Lord and only serving the Lord, you are like Martha who was “cumbered about” with DOING, when Mary chose the better and was sitting at the Feet of Christ. It is written, God seeks worshipers. Woship ALWAY, ALWAYS, ALWAYS comes before service. BUT, service can be done while worshiping, too. They need not be separate all the time, but must be separate some of the time.  Worship and Service are twin to each other, just as Justification is twin to Sanctification, and Repentance is twin to Belief. One can never do the latters before the formers, never, never, never.

First things must be first, one’s Christianity or faith is built precept upon precept, and one is taught line by line. As said above, one must be justified before one can be sanctified or begin progressive sanctification.  One must repent before one CAN believe. And one must, must, must be a worshiper and lover of Christ before one can begin to serve Him right or to serve Him in a way He will accept. Remember there will be persons at the judgment that are certain of their acceptance by Christ because of all they have done. However, Christ responds to them with, “I never knew you.”  These persons were basing their assurance upon works and serving.

It is ugly to behold a believer that is so sound in all the doctrines of Scripture, but forgets to be loving and kind to those around them.

What are the basics of the faith?
*Love God more than anyone and anything and enJOY His Presence in your life.
*Love and enJOY your salvation and all the freedom and liberty it gives to you.
*Love others, love the brethren, neighbors, and enemies.
*Do right and be good.
*Mind your own business.
*Do what you do for Christ. Look past persons, bosses, corporate and do what you do for Christ.
*Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In other words, treat others how you want to be treated….this is basic stuff but this is the stuff we forget while we are studying the deep things of God.
*Forgive them that seek your forgiveness.
*Go to those who have wronged you, like the king of Christ’s parable that, “would take account of his servants.” In terms of forgiveness, which was the point of Christ’s parable, one is to go to the offender and speak to the offense and settle it. Sometimes, Reader, the offender doesn’t know they have offended, it is like a deceiver who is being deceived.

[SideNote: Reader, there are persons who are professional offendees and they work full time, twenty-four-seven (24/7). These types are offended by anything and everything, they seek to be offended in order to draw attention to themselves. Once attention is on them they begin to gossip, backbite, slander, defame, and ruin reputations. These persons find their pleasure in the harm they cause. Rest assured, Reader, God knows.]

A point on forgiveness:
Forgiveness is to be a formal exchange. Forgiveness is to bring persons together to give a release of a moral or ethical wrong doer. Did God forgive you before you repented and confessed? NO He didn’t, that’s a major point of the Gospel. So how can one forgive another who is not sorry?

One cannot be bitter and be right with God and self; but one cannot forgive a wrong without that wrong being dealt with, that’s the economy of God. That was the point of Christ’s parable; the certain king wanted to, “take account of his servants.”

In other words, you are the king, you are the offended, and you are to take responsibility of the situation and bring the offfense to the offender and settle things, bury things, and forgives things. But Reader, if you forgive without the offender caring or knowing about it, You have become more merciful than God. Does that sound right?

Godspeed.