Follow Jesus

God created the universe, and God created you. He fills your lungs with air and keeps your heart beating in your chest. God gives you life, and He wants you to live.

Unfortunately, not many people really believe that. Somewhere down the line, we were sold the lie that the Creator of life doesn't really want us to enjoy it. We are, by nature, suspicious of our Creator. "God doesn't really have my best in mind," we think. "He really just wants to rain on my parade." So we resist what He wants, we try to trade in His way for "my way," we rebel against Him. We use the bodies He made, the time that is on loan from Him, the earthly resources that rightfully belong to Him, and the people around us to do what we want to do.

Which isn't too bright, when you really think about it. It doesn't make sense to shake your puny fist in the face of an Almighty God. But we do exactly that.

Fortunately for us, God loves us anyway. God never gave up on us. Instead, He sent His Son into the world to seek us and to save us from our me-centered destructiveness.

God sent Jesus to show us how to really live. God sent Jesus to show us how to really love. God sent Jesus to die for us, to pay the price for our futile rebellion against Him. And then Jesus rose again to sit on the throne of the universe and to bring us to God.

Jesus calls every one of us to follow Him. In Him we see everything that we were meant to be. In Him we find life--real life, not the cheap imitation that they offer on TV, but the real, fulfilling, freedom-giving stuff.

How do you find this life? One of the first followers of Jesus, a man named John, wrote a book to tell us how. According to John, these are the signs of a true disciple of Jesus:

1. A true follower of Jesus has been born again. In John's gospel, Jesus told a fellow named Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3, NIV). A true follower of Jesus starts on the Way with a change of heart, a turning from the old ways and turning toward the new. The person is different, allied with Jesus heart, soul, and mind. This change is brought about from beginning to end by God Himself. The past is forgiven and the new life with Jesus is now possible. This new birth is the foundation for following Jesus.

2. A true follower of Jesus is completely committed to and passionate about Jesus' word. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32, NIV). A true follower of Jesus is convinced that obeying what He says invariably brings life and freedom. A true follower of Jesus doesn't just know the Bible; he obeys what it says. A true disciple bases her life on what Jesus says; what He says, she will do.

3. A true follower of Jesus loves Jesus' people (the Church). Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35, NIV). A person cannot claim to love Jesus if he doesn't love the people for whom Jesus died. A true disciple consistently pours himself into other disciples, serving them, building them up, loving them.

4. A true follower of Jesus bears fruit. Jesus said, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:8). This fruit includes the disciple's character (the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; see Gal. 5:22-23), the disciple's conduct (the fruit of righteousness; see Phil. 1:9-11; Heb. 12:11; & Jas. 3:18), and making new disciples (see Matt. 9:37-38 & John 4:35).

If you would like to begin to follow Jesus right now, tell Him. He will hear you. Then get connected to His followers at a church where you live. If I can help you in any way, let me know, and it will make my day to do it.