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Following Jesus | Matthew 4:18 | Matthew 11:22-30 | Romans 12:2
There was an incredible invitation from the Lord this weekend and as we keep moving through this series, it’s fresh each week. Each time it comes through a new lens with a new perspective but it’s the same call – come follow Me.
After being a Christian for years, it’s hard to ask the question, “Am I a follower of Jesus? Do I really want to follow Jesus?” But unless we humble ourselves and let the Lord touch these deep places, we will become really good at doing the Christian thing and miss Jesus or we’ll walk away. And there is absolutely no reward in just doing the good Christian thing and missing Jesus. Why? Because He is our great reward! Sometimes I wonder if I really believe that. If I did, I think that denying myself, picking up my cross, and relying on Him would sit differently. It wouldn’t be so much about what I have to give up, but what I gain. This is where I believe He’s leading us!
Let’s use this week to ask ourselves some hard questions. If we want to follow Jesus to the end, we have to be willing to look at the hard things. Jesus is extending the invitation for us to come and follow Him all over again. And if we’ll surrender, He’ll faithfully get rid of anything that’s in the way. But surrender is our choice. Lord, teach us how to follow!
Q. Ask Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal the answer to this question – Where am I following self while thinking I’m following Jesus? Let Him put His finger on what He’s asking you to surrender.
Following Jesus Isn’t a Man-made System | James 2:19 | Mark 1:23 | John 12:42-43 | Matthew 10:32
Just because we do all the external things that a disciple “should” do doesn’t mean we’re following Jesus. Likewise, knowing a lot of facts about Jesus doesn’t mean we’re following Him either. The true mark of a follower of Jesus is surrender. How surrendered are we? And what is He even asking us to surrender? Is it our possessions like in the case of the Rich Young Ruler – yes. Is it our understanding, our agendas, our plans, our dreams, our livelihood, like in the case of the twelve disciples – yes. In fact, it’s anything that the Lord asks us to surrender – possessions, relationships, money, time, energy resources, sin, unforgiveness, bitterness, offence, entitlement, fear. Good things, not so good things, things that we love, things that we hate, anything and everything.
And this is the invitation that will continue through our entire lives. He invites us to surrender so we can continue to become one with Him. It’s the paradox of the Kingdom - we already are completely one and we are also becoming one as we continue to surrender. And in a culture that pushes the importance of making sure that we don’t lose our ‘self’, this should feel like a wrestle for us. If there is no wrestle and we’re not considering or choosing, it probably means that we’ve stopped following.
Q. Jesus has never and is never ashamed of us, even after all the ways we’ve abandoned and misrepresented Him. Take a moment to selah on this and to hear His heart. Let Him make this truth real to you.
Q. Fear keeps us from publicly following Jesus, but Jesus died publicly on the cross so that this very fear could be disarmed. Ask Holy Spirit – What fear have I learned to live with that You want to set me free of? What does it look like to surrender that fear to Jesus?
Q. Following Jesus isn’t buying into a system of rules or practices in hopes of making Him love or accept you more or to climb a ladder of importance. Has your walk with Jesus felt like this? Maybe it does right now. Let Holy Spirit speak to this area of your heart as you surrender it to Him.
Q. Where do you feel like you’re just checking off the boxes in your relationship with Jesus? Slow down and ask what Jesus wants to say to this area of your heart.
Following Jesus Means Taking Up Our Cross | Matthew 16:21-28 | Matthew 27:32 | Gal. 2:20
The way you carry your cross (or not), is how you’ll invite others to carry theirs (or not). What you do with your cross is what you’ll teach others to do with it. Was carrying your cross an invitation for you? Did it feel like something that you were privileged to choose? Then you will present it that way to others. Did it feel like it was forced on you with an ultimatum – do this or else? Then that’s the exact way you will present it to others.
Take some time to really let Holy Spirit search you and reveal what you believe about picking up your cross. At its core, picking up our cross gives us Jesus. It wasn’t just an invitation to suffering for the sake of suffering, it was an invitation to embrace suffering and receive Him. Do we want Jesus? Or do we want comfort? No, really, what do we want? Because our own human reasoning will always lead us down the road that we’re most comfortable with – one that doesn’t lead us to Jesus. The Bible tells us that we can’t serve two masters, in this case, comfort and Jesus. We will always end up forsaking one for the other.
Our human reasoning will turn us away from Jesus to the point where we believe that we are following but we aren’t surrendering. If we want to follow Jesus, we have to be willing to let go of our human reasoning. Taking up our cross is just that. It represents a death to our self-life and an embracing of His. Turning from our selfish ways means we purpose to live a life of repentance – repenting of self, acknowledging and confessing so we can continue to follow. The cross is a place of surrender and it’s the only place where the life of Jesus can be formed in us.
But Jesus never forces us to carry His cross or ours, and at the same time, we can’t be a follower of Him if we choose not to. It’s not a threat, it’s just a fact. And it’s a very important one. If you’re choosing one question to ponder from this reflection, choose one of these.
Q. Notice how you’re responding to this invitation to carry your cross. What does it bring up in you? Be honest about it and make some time to talk with the Lord about it. Listen to what He wants to say. If it’s not an immediate response, allow yourself to be open to hear throughout the week. Jesus wants to minister to this area of your heart.
Q. Ask Holy Spirit to show you if you’ve ever felt forced to carry your cross. Has the invitation ever been presented to you as a threat or like you didn’t have a choice? Bring that to Jesus and let Him minister to you. He wants to renew your view of Him