Quite frequently you hear a new christian say that they have
decided to follow Jesus, but I can't help but wonder if they really
know what they are agreeing to.
There
is even a song, "I have decided to follow Jesus, I have
decided to follow Jesus, no turning back....no turning back."
Webster
defines the word follow as, "to come or take
place after in time, sequence, or order." But do
we Really comprehend the full meaning of
following someone like Jesus. A lot of people misunderstand
what it means to be a Christian, buying into the idea that once
we make a commitment we are "fancy free". Some even
believe that life will become easier and all of the stress will be
gone.
The
truth...
When
we commit to following Jesus we must first understand who He was and
what His mission was about. The Gospels tell us that Jesus
traveled long hard journeys, never knowing where He would rest
His head or how food would come to Him... He simply knew His
father would provide. Jesus's feet were dirty and sore
from traveling on rough terrain but he never complained or
questioned God's purpose for His suffering.
If
you plan to follow Jesus you better put on your hiking boots and roll
up your pants because the road you are about to embark upon isn't
paved or smooth.
God
doesn't promise a life without pain, what He does promise is that He
will always sustain us and be with us through our journeys, just as
He was with His son.
Prepare
to suffer and be ridiculed.... remember we are following Jesus so
we go where He goes.
Jesus
was hungry, tired, and anguished at times......
are
you willing to be hungry, tired, and anguished?
Jesus
put aside His own burdens to carry the burdens of others.....
are
you willing to carry the burdens of others?
Jesus
did the illogical and walked on water....
are
you willing to do the illogical?
Jesus
told God, "Not my will but Yours be done."....
are
you willing to lay down your own desires for the will of God?
Jesus
was brutally crucified for the inequity of all people....
dare
I even ask???
So
why would anyone accept this journey?
For
the same reason Jesus did, because the prize far out weighs the cost.
Earth is not our reward it is our place of preparation.
We are being molded and shaped into the people that God has created us to be, but our journey is sometimes painful.
We can endure this kind of journey because
God
tells us that,
"... I
am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen
you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. " Isaiah
41:10
Choosing
to follow Jesus provides us with all that is
missing from our lives. I think most of us would agree that in the
deepest place of our hearts we all long for the same thing, something
that if it was unobtainable to us, would leave us in a state of mere existences...
HOPE
Where
would we be without HOPE? How would we face each day without
the hope of something better than the pain of yesterday and the
uncertainty of tomorrow?
It
is because we have a God that is bigger than our circumstances...
that we have Hope!
For
I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a
future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I
will listen to you. Jeremiah
29:11-12
The
fact is we all choose to follow something, it could be another
person, self desires, or power. But these things
will only leave us wandering in endless circles, leaving us frustrated
and exhausted. Why choose to follow Jesus down the difficult
narrow path? Because God promises to never leave us or forsake
us... if we choose this path we will never walk it alone. When we follow close
behind our savior, trusting in His guidance and direction,
He will
lead us right into eternity.
And
for that reason I choose to follow Jesus.......
"Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Isiah 40:28-31
