Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me.”
(Matthew 16:24)
We can take God’s
presence for granted. We can assume that because Jesus said He would be with
us always, He will follow us wherever we go (Matt. 28:20).
Jesus does not follow us; we are to follow Him. You do not invite
God to join you in your activity. He invites you to become involved in His activity. Jesus said: “You did not choose Me, but
I chose you” (John 15:16). Following Jesus requires absolute obedience. He does
not seek our counsel about which direction we think is suitable. God already
knows what is best without ever having to consult with us.
Following Jesus will
lead you into experiences you never dreamed of! You will be with Jesus as He
weeps over those trapped in sin. You will feel the pain that Jesus feels. You
will see those who were spiritually blind experience the joy of coming to see
God for the first time. You will see lives that were broken, made whole. You
will see marriages restored; those in , released; and those who mourn,
comforted. At times it will be easy to follow Jesus. At other times, you will
be tempted to abandon Him. Following Jesus can mean going through a storm or
standing on a mountaintop.
You may have stopped
following Jesus, but now you want to follow again. When you stopped following
Jesus, you did so on your terms. But the returning to Jesus
is strictly under His conditions. He is God, and you are not. Are you willing
to follow Jesus anywhere, at any time, under any condition? That is the only
way you can follow Him.
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