Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus
People choose to follow Jesus for many reasons. Many follow Him in an effort to reach Heaven and, by default, escape the fiery depths of Hell. Others follow Him because they see Him as a wise and moral teacher.
Then there are those of us who follow Him because we love Him with all of our heart and seek to live a life that pleases Him. Into which camp do you fall? [Read more…] about Why Do You Follow Jesus?
Many of us have doubts from time to time when it comes to our faith in God. Is it really worth it? Is it actually true? Is there really a God? I don’t think God is afraid of our questions or put off by our doubt. He wants us to choose Him, and making a choice requires consideration of all the facts involved.
If God would have wanted automated robots who had no questions and who had no choice but to follow Him, He would not have blessed us with the gift of freewill. [Read more…] about Doubting Your Faith
Faith and fear are the closest of cousins; both deal with our believing things we cannot see. Through faith we possess the power to hope for all that is possible; it allows us to persevere through dark days and tough times. In fear we find a lack of motivation to move; it paralyzes and keeps us trapped in our despair and inner anxiety.
We all live in various states of these two conditions, and usually cling to a little of both. Jesus came to offer His grace to cover our fear and encourage our faith. As His disciples, we need to let go of the things that scare us and take hold of the possibilities afforded to us through the power of Christ. [Read more…] about Faith vs. Fear
Reading through the Old Testament, I often marvel how the Israelites continually turned away from God. Couldn’t they see how powerful He was? Hadn’t they been witness to incredible miracle after miracle? They had heard the voice of God and seen His presence descend among them. More than anyone, it seems they would have been compelled to a state of constant thankfulness and worship. Yet we read that time and again they turned their back on God and did what was evil in His sight. From the perspective of history we look back on them and think, “How stupid could they be?” It’s so easy to judge the shortcomings of others while being oblivious to the failings in our own life.
It strikes me that I am just like the Israelites. I have seen the Lord’s blessings in my life time and again. I have observed occurrences that have no explanation short of the hand of God. Yet still I am tempted by the things this world has to offer; still my attention can be directed in ways not pleasing to Him. Recently I have been focusing on the thought of not turning to the right or to the left, but only moving straight ahead. When I am wavering, the Lord has brought verses to my mind concerning Israel, how they did what was evil in His sight. I am reminded of those great servants of God about whom the Bible says followed Him in all their ways. That is the person I want to be. I want to be the one who finds favor in the sight of God because I consider His ways in all my endeavors. I do not want to be the one who chases after his own thoughts and desires.
Jim Rohn liked to say that the Bible was full of two kinds of stories, those that show us what to do, and those that show us what not to do. We have great examples on how we should or should not behave, we simply need to read and study the Word of God to determine how to live our lives. The Bible does not contain every circumstance or decision you will ever face, but it does contain every principle you will need in order to handle the situation. When we are committed to following Jesus with our whole heart, when we dedicate ourselves to walking in His way, He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). We aren’t guaranteed an easy road, but we are assured of a right direction. Regardless of the difficulties we face, knowing that we are not turning away from the Lord in any way will bring satisfaction and peace to our lives. Nothing brings more comfort than doing what is right in the sight of the Lord and acting on all that He has told us to do.
Can you relate to the Israelites as well? Have you seen God move in your own life only to later forget and carry on with business as usual? We have countless examples in the Bible of those who chased after God with all their heart, and those who turned away to pursue their own selfish desires. It never ends well for those who turn away from God. The only question then is whether or not we will be wise enough to learn from the examples of those who humbled themselves before the Lord and received His blessings, or face the consequences of following those who rebelled against their God. Following Christ is really very simple, we need only worship Him alone and do the things He told us to do. More often than any of us want to admit, however, we are far more interested in chasing after the temporary comforts of this world.
So what will you do? Will you give all that you are to follow Jesus and obey His commands? Or will you turn your back on all He has done for you and worship the selfish and powerless things of this world? Looks fade, money burns and houses crumble; there is nothing permanent except for the love and mercy of Christ. Don’t be like the foolish examples in the Bible. Do what is right in His eyes and worship the Lord with all of your heart, soul and mind. May we be pleasing to Him in all our ways; let us live that we might be worthy of His sacrifice in every moment of our lives.
A couple of years ago, Francis Chan stepped away from the church he had led in California for fifteen years because God was calling him to something else. He didn’t know what that something else was, he just knew he needed to trust and move on. Recently the Senior Pastor of the fellowship I attend made a similar announcement. He would be transitioning out of his role to pursue an undefined path. Like Abraham, he doesn’t know where he’s going; he simply knows he is being told to go. I admire their courage to abandon everything to follow God to places unknown.
Are you willing to follow God no matter what? Could you really walk away from everything you own and everyone you know for the sake of Jesus Christ? It is a question I have been battling for some time and confess I have not yet made a similar leap. I trust God explicitly with my heart, but my mind continues to get in the way. The realities of life invade my passionate desire to follow Jesus without any backdrop of security. We have been taught that we must balance wisdom with faith. Most of us don’t go stepping off the roof of a skyscraper trusting Jesus will bring us safely to the ground. That shows a legitimate lack of wisdom. We are finite beings that are confined to live by the laws of a physical world (we are not immune from gravity, for example).
Walking away from a job trusting that Jesus will care for your needs is a weighty proposition. It works out for some, but for others, not so much. The Bible never promises success in every endeavor; it does, however, promise that if we will trust our lives to Christ and work to glorify Him, then we will spend eternity in His presence. No matter how bad things get on earth, this is a promise that provides ultimate comfort and security. Life is more than comfort, investments and personal pleasure; it’s more than the car you drive, the house in which you dwell or the size of your paycheck. Life is simply about Jesus; knowing Him and serving Him. Too often our decisions boil down to choosing between God and personal comfort.
Remembering our purpose on earth can bring clarity to an otherwise murky decision process. Are we making our choices based on Kingdom directives or earthly economics? It can prove difficult in our Western society to dismiss the pull and norms of our culture. All our lives we have been taught to be financially wealthy, to become as successful as possible and to care first for our own needs. The Kingdom of God demands that we give all that we have in service to Jesus, submitting to those around us in order to serve their needs first, and to consider ourselves willing slaves of God. When we see life through the eyes of Christ, our perspective will be dramatically altered. Our decision process will gain new parameters. No longer will we choose a direction based on what seems most comfortable or financially prudent. When our hearts begin to break over the very things that break the heart of God, we will be compelled to choose that which results in bringing eternal glory to our King.
Having said all this, learning to make decisions from a Kingdom perspective is not an easy matter. We have years of teaching and fears to overcome. Family and friends will not understand and will probably vigorously oppose the decision. While this is generally driven by their own fear and lack of faith, it can nevertheless create great uncertainty for us. It is then we must remember whom we serve; if we serve Jesus first and only, the opinions of others will not matter. While we should certainly seek wise and Godly counsel, ultimately we must choose to do that which God is calling us to do. There is far greater uncertainty in running from God than running toward Him; just ask Jonah (Jonah 1-3).
While decisions are not easy or to be taken lightly, there truly is a simple reason why some people turn away from all they know to follow Jesus and others don’t. Those who do are not super spiritual beings; they have no secret gene that allows them to take greater risks. They simply desire to follow Christ more than anything this life can offer them. They choose to forsake the illusion of earthly security for the certainty of eternal salvation. They have died to themselves and have chosen to serve Christ no matter what the cost in this life. With an eternal perspective, any sense of success as defined by this world pales and fades away. I have my own issues to deal with in this area, how about you? What is it that you have been putting off for God in favor of maintaining your own comfort and sense of security? In the end, anything we have accumulated in this life will disappear; there is nothing eternal in the physical realm. Are you willing to follow Jesus no matter the cost? Only the spiritual will endure; only what we do for Christ will last. Only He can provide the comfort and security you seek; only He can fill the deepest yearnings of your heart. True life and lasting security is found in Christ alone.