Serious obedience: Reflections from Jesus' Kingdom Manifesto

I've been reading Jesus' Kingdom Manifesto in Matthew 5-7 - most famously known as the Sermon on the Mount - in the Message.

Fresh language and expression. It sets our kingdom imaginations running. I'm challenged by Jesus' costly but worthwhile invitation to step into his way of life.

Here are some excerpts from Matthew seven:

"Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

"What is required is serious obedience - doing what my Father wills."

"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."