Do you know the most common command in the Bible?

 There's a story about a football game where the home team was just getting pummeled by its opponent. Someone in the stands kept yelling, "Give the ball to Calhoun! Give the ball to Calhoun!’’ They tried another play, and again the home team was smashed to the ground, losing valuable yardage. Again came the cry, "Give the ball to Calhoun!’’ This happened two or three times more before a tall man raised up from the pile of human bodies on the field and responded, "Calhoun don’t want the ball!’’

I am afraid this is true of many Christians today. The task is laid out before us. We know we will be triumphant because the victory has already been won. But, are you willing to go?

In Mark 10, the rich young man approaches Jesus. In verse 17 we read, "And as [Jesus] was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 

It appears to be a good question. We all want to know the path to eternal life. The problem is the rich young man wasn't ready for the answer. Jesus tells him, "Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." The rich young man goes away sorrowful because he had too much stuff.

Instead of asking for the path to eternal life, the rich young man should have been asking himself if he was willing to go.

I am not sure where I picked up the following quote. I wrote it down somewhere along the way: "The most common command in the Bible is "Go." The second is, "Do not be afraid." If you want to know how Christians should live, you can start there."