In David Platt’s latest book, “Follow Me”, he writes a profound truth that, if consistently grasped, would radically transform the way we live. David says, “Feel the magnitude of this: when you come to Jesus, He puts the source of His life in the center of your life. This is the heart of Jesus’ call to follow Him. When you become a Christian, you die, and Jesus becomes your life.” Those of us on a journey to follow Jesus already know this in our heads, but have we truly grasped it in our hearts? Think about what is implied here. We die. Everything we once found so valuable, all that we considered worth working towards, every source of pleasure – none of it matters anymore.
Jesus clearly defined what it means to make Him Lord and secure our Salvation. In Luke 10:25-28 He said that we must love Him with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind. We can’t do this unless we absolutely let go of our old desires and ways of thinking. To love God fully revolutionizes every area of our lives. It’s not enough to simply want to follow; following becomes natural because we have been completely transformed from the inside out. As stated in the beautiful song, “Lead Me to the Cross”:
“Everything I once held dear
I count it all as loss”
Do you understand what that means? Everything changes. Everything is new. All of our instincts have been turned upside down. The success for which we were striving to attain becomes irrelevant in light of the glory of God. Elevating ourselves in anyway seems ridiculous when placed next to an all powerful King. The money we worked so hard to gain is worthless when valued in terms of eternity. Once the peace and purity of His Spirit has taken up residence in our lives, the earthly pleasures we so often ran to for comfort become repulsive and distasteful.
Nothing matters save for the mission of our Lord. Our lives will be different. For true followers of Christ, nothing will ever be the same. Nothing on earth will ever satisfy again. Jesus is our life. Every joy is found in Him or supplied by Him. Every good thing is the result of serving Him or is because of His blessing on our lives. We are wholly dependent on Him for our life. There is no self-sufficiency in the Kingdom of God. All things are possible only through Him.
Have you died to yourself? Can you look at yourself in the mirror and truly say that you have? Lip service doesn’t count. God only accepts a heart that is truly and fully surrendered to Him. Does your soul ache to be in the presence of God? Is every last ounce of your strength spent working for His glory? Are you focusing every thought on His beauty and mission? Does every beat of your heart pulse with His love? If you love Him, He will be the center of your life. To live is Christ. There is no other way.