Now, to become a disciple of Christ is another thing. b. And yet this is an everyday process. life is not a bed of roses, but I am glad I said yes to Jesus. Even if the rich young ruler would have given away his riches and followed Christ, he wouldn’t have earned his salvation. Thanks so much for your comment Minister Glenda. Social media is pulling at us with peer pressure and pride. He tells of his death and Simon Peter blurts out that it will never happen. I give up my control of everything, including my hobbies, habits, entertainment, money, sexuality, image, status, career, and especially relationships. This is why we must take up the practice of giving up our own way. "Follow Me." It's a Jesus who's OK with our materialism, fine with nominal devotion that doesn't require any sacrifice, and pleased with a brand of faith that requires attendance on Sunday but no real commitment in day-to-day life. > What made people give up everything to follow Jesus? Learn to live graciously, finding ways to be thankful, regardless of what’s … Someone who took up a cross was on the way to death, with no hope of escape. | Learn how to grow your following today! Not that we must give it up but that if asked we would give it up. Paul was not a disciple. I was a homosexual and while I still have love for those in my past, I had to leave certain friends behind. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It was an interesting calling too. There are countless others, including, perhaps you, and Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul after his conversion. Prayer to surrender to Jesus and receive salvation. Henry Beecher, in writing, “In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich,” may mean we must lay down our own agenda and take up God’s agenda; we must share what we have with others who have little; we should lay down our own interests and take up the interests of God; and we must die to self and live for Christ. It is the initiation period and a test of commitment. Your story is an unusual one. The information that we take in every day can easily create too much noise for us to hear Jesus. Read the rest of this chapter, and ask Jesus what he is calling you to follow him in. Sure, there are still problems, but even in these, He is with me, and He uses them to teach me and to ‘grow’ me. We give up our loved ones, our desires, and our plans, our very own lives to follow Jesus. In order to become a disciple of Christ, I had to surrender the right to live my own life. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. As Spurgeon said: You can never out-give God, because God always uses a bigger shovel! "BRING IT!!" Following Jesus can also give you increased trials and persecutions! This is a sobering reality. That’s a good one. Learn how your comment data is processed. Turn off your phone. I profoundly appreciate your comment. We’re to go just to follow Jesus. Most Believers I know - if Jesus approached us, as He did the rich man in Mark 10:17, we would jump at the chance. It takes great sacrifice and unshakable commitment and steadfastness. But Jesus met me in that moment. It can be very overwhelming. As we considered in the previous lesson, to … That's all Jesus asks. And to chose our own way could be trouble for us in the long run. When we follow Jesus we are called to give up everything. Instead, Jesus set up a requirement that clearly illustrated the basic issue: the rich young man’s desire to retain control of his life. Following Jesus is one of the most difficult things I have done with my life. Just after graduating college and working in my field, I realized Jesus was asking me to do something more than running sports events. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." I would argue two factors contribute two such behaviors. HE gave me faith to believe. Before He was going to be taken to be put to death, he went to go and pray by himself for a while and he was scared and he cried out "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" Luke 22:42 Sometimes like Jesus we get frightened into doing God's will and following him no matter the cost but if we do really love God, we would want to give up everything to follow him. Apostolic Fellowship Church of Christ Jesus Sunday Morning Service, 1153 Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 We can be reached by contacting us at AFCMedia@AFC-ct.com or calling us at 860-242-3518. Next month, Marla and I are going to the Czech Republic to minister. Category: ReligionChristianity. E.g. He took me as I was, dead in sin, hopeless, guilty, condemned, and without excuse. ***This post was originally published on Transformed Faith, 4/14/2021***, Husband, Father, Author, Coach, and Life Achiever. Give yourself up to some calling greater than yourself. a. Jesus is giving the eager disciple a reality check. Does that sound restrictive? I remember how hard it was to make this decision. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. We do not realize that the old man cannot serve God. Pull out your Bible and a piece of paper. (1) Love and (2) Hope. I learned what it meant to commit, to surrender and to give all I had and all I longed for to the Lord. You have the words of life, the keys to peace and freedom, the secret of joy. Matthew 7:13 New King James Version (NKJV) He will not disappoint in these places when we come to him in the quiet. The twelve disciples did. Peters would soon find herself at another crossroad. Some of us missed the point. There has to be a transformation in attitude and thought. We follow him regardless of how well we understand where we are going, what we are doing, or why this is happening. And then follow him. https://www.blogos.org/christianlifeandgrowth/give-up-follow-Jesus.php We’re to go because we can be with him along the way. When you are finished, there should be items all over the floor of the room} Prepare to be held accountable. Sometimes, we need to give up our own way of doing things to follow Jesus. 657). 5 Bible Verses on Following Jesus . In Matthew 19:21-22, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. He made me His blood-bought, adopted child, His joint-heir with Christ, secure in Him for all eternity. Here are other Bible verses that show us what it looks like to follow Jesus. Pride and lifestyle are the most popular reasons people say no to Jesus. Following Jesus means we give up control over our lives. I wonder if we can fail give up less than our all to serve Jesus and still be counted as disciples? We’re to go because he’s going. That lifestyle is not what I want anymore. This time she needed to decide whether to go to college to fulfill her dreams to become a lawyer or to pursue a music career, singing for Jesus. ( Log Out / This chapter of the Gospel of Matthew is a very busy one. Others may say, “I follow Jesus because I struggle with many emotional problems, and I’m hoping that He can give me inner peace and joy.” He certainly can give you inner peace and joy, but that is not an adequate reason to follow Jesus. He said that we would be known by our love for our brothers. But would I really? I weighed the options over and over. On the other hand, Jesus calls us into something that isn’t any of the things we plan. I need to give up everything I own and I want to follow you; I want to be your disciple,” then I am sure that Jesus would have helped him. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! He was asking a lot of me, especially now that I had started the career I had been dreaming to do for years. I appreciate your continued willingness to share your inspiring views with us…God blesses. In high School, she found herself at a crossroad where she needed to choose Jesus and stay pure or choose the crowd and be cool. https://gospelmuse.com/.../what-did-you-have-to-give-up-to-follow-jesus-2 Thanks so much for your comment Lady D. To God be the glory. Not everybody who wish to follow Jesus has it in him, or her (at least in the initial stages)to accept the challenge Jesus issues in Luke 9:23: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me”. She did the right thing and choose Jesus. I guess so, but in REALITY it is freedom. Today, I wanted to look at a familiar passage that reminds me of all the times that I followed Jesus when it was not the way I had planned out. Object Lesson for Follow Jesus: {Lay out a path with the items that represent Jesus, going from one side of the room to the other, like a trail. This publication hopes to help encourage the renewing of your mind. That is the reason the Scripture tells us the following: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He will call you into what you need to do in life. Read the rest of this chapter, and ask Jesus what he is calling you to follow him in. There was absolutely NOTHING I could give to God in exchange for my salvation. Nevertheless, following Jesus takes more than just giving up something which we hold near and dear to our hearts.. Take up your own cross. Knew what he loved and asked him to give… Yes, Jesus gives promises to those who follow, like God did to Abraham, but the outcome and especially the path are usually fuzzy. I know for myself that media can make it difficult. Thanks for commenting, jlue. You may give up your family ties, but He puts you into His worldwide family, with brothers and sisters all over the globe. It means we relinquish the title to what we own. I did not give up anything to become a child of God. To truly follow Christ means we do not follow anything else. Jesus first tells the man to keep the commandments, which the young man says he has always done. There is nothing in this physical world that I would not give up to follow Christ! Romans 12:1–2 says that we are to not conform to this world but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our mind. I have gained a peace that passes understanding, a love that is as deep as the oceans and eternity with my Father in heaven. –Maya Angelou, GETTING INTO THE BOAT WITH JESUS DOES NOT MEAN YOU TRUST HIM. On one hand, we have all these hopes, dreams, and plans. That is, loving god and being loved by god and having hope in god and knowing that god has hope in you. Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Thanks that you sent your Son, Jesus, to live and die a humiliating death so that we could live. Still, he did not hesitate to give up his job as a tax collector, as well as his position as a member of the ruling council to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. I profoundly appreciate your visit. In Jesus name, Amen. English: Jesus appears to the disciples (watercolour) (Photo credit: Wikipedia). The Healing Power of Shamanic Journeying: Death Lessons: Overcoming the Fear of Death. Amen Bro. Otherwise, we stand the chance of losing our lives in his Kingdom. Easy Ways to Celebrate the Winter Solstice. Thanks so much for your excellent comment Angela. Make us true followers of Christ. Write it down. Jesus wasn’t implying that salvation can actually be earned by good deeds. Following Jesus when you want to give up. Jesus promised to give us as His followers peace. You don't need to be a martyr to a great cause to follow Jesus, but you do have to fight your struggles for yourself but never alone. Today, I want to encourage you to sit down someplace quietly. When we give up things in our lives to follow Jesus, we need to remember his promise of 100-fold. Noel: This might look crazy to other people, it might be different than what culture or society tells us to do, and it could mess up the plans you had for your life. Talked with friends and family. Jesus demands total surrender and complete submission. My amazing triune God handles my life much better than I could, and He showers me with the abundance of His blessings, peace and joy. Does that sound negative? Peter and his friends have given up everything they had to give in order to follow Jesus -- everything that has dimensions of space and time. Jesus’ answer comes in the form of two parables. Yet, the pull was strong, and the signs were there, and Jesus was making it clear to me. Check out these prayer and meditation guides that will help you read through books of the Bible! Check out these prayer and meditation guides that will help you read through books of the Bible! He was calling me to go into full-time ministry. Anyone hearing those words at that time knew EXACTLY what He meant. Pull out your Bible and a piece of paper. If you give up your house to follow Jesus, He gives you hundreds of homes, all around the world. There is hardly anything I can add, except thanks. You will face opposition (note 4) c. As Christ followers, we promise to go out and make disciples (note 1) d. You must deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow Jesus unconditionally (Lk 9:23) 1. Thanks so much Afi. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Matthew 16:24–25, NLT). Because Jesus will show up in these moments and make everything clear. And, if I hadn’t done it, my life would look drastically different. Take up a cross. I pray God will continue to open doors and provide for you. Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-11: 5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. A lot of things are described that take place, but near the end of the chapter, we get this conversation Jesus has with his disciples. The Parable of Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value. And, to do it through putting on conferences and events for college students. It takes me back to this scripture: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. ( Log Out / Minister Glenda. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. He will not settle for second place in our lives. It is one thing to give up possessions, but giving up the prominence my family gets in my life is difficult. Stand up … God blesses. But the Scripture says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Because it wasn’t to become a pastor or an overseas missionary. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. He also expands on the fact that for those called by Jesus, it is imperative to follow him into what he calls for them. And so thought provoking for me…. Please help us to live lives that are proclaiming your gospel to others. If he had said, “Jesus, I know you are right. Want to cultivate a regular Bible reading habit? Reading the verse that way, we understand that Christ is telling us that we must be willing to sacrifice all that we have, if need be, to follow him. Regardless, they were not the only ones. Lloyd Pietersen’s post-Christendom reading of the Gospels leads him to stress the fact that for Luke “discipleship means giving up everything to follow Jesus” ([amazon:978-0836196177:inline], Kindle version, loc. The news, movies, and tv shows are telling us one thing. The Narrow Way Lord Jesus, I have taken the time to count the cost of following you, and I want to begin to follow. It was just a few years after I accepted Christ that I learned what it meant to truly follow Him. Even though, they were mostly fishermen of extremely modest means, they gave up all they had–family and livelihood to follow Jesus. 2. In fact, without the grace of God, following Jesus would be impossible (Matthew 19:25–26). Jesus asks much of those who follow him, but he doesn’t ask a lot of those who don’t. God Bless You, Noel! This is a great question that every Believer should ask themselves. As the disciples demonstrated, no one can follow Christ by the strength of his own willpower. Please help us to be willing to give up everything, including our lives to follow you and be your disciples. We've given in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist Him into a version of Jesus we're more comfortable with. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Young Moriah Peters who has had to make life changing decisions twice in her short life. . She chose the latter. It will be clear and vivid. And this is why you need to close those things out, sit down, read your Bible, and pray. Following Jesus Christ is difficult. It will be through a Bible verse, or a vision, or a word that comes to mind. Write it down. You’ve been nominated for the award of your choice! HE gave me new life. He deserves our best. 3. In the world, and in the society in which we live, there are many people who identify themselves as followers of Jesus, yet when asked to identify that which they have given up to follow Jesus, they cannot give a coherent answer. Be Thankful for all things. Change ). It is one thing to hear, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up the cross and follow me.” It is quite another to literally give up our own way, physically pick up that cross and make those sacrifices as we focus on following Jesus. Awesome post Noel. Scatter the items that might distract people from following Jesus around them so that the pathway is not clear. Thank you for this. We are nothing without Him. There have certainly been trials and temptations, but there is no doubt in my life that it has been worth it. Jesus promised that if he gave up his earthly possessions that he would have treasure in heaven. Upload Date: Mar 02, 2020. And then follow him. Following Jesus isn’t always easy. ( Log Out / Most of them thought I was being foolish, probably still do to this day, but in the end, I decided to follow Jesus. I had to count myself as dead to self and self desires. A song to listen to: Who You … He was already reckoned as dead. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Now…I don’t even want to move unless I’m sure I either heard from God or I’m sure He trusts I would make the right decision. Please give us wisdom to know when we need to give things up. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. I gave up thinking I had to be a “captain of my soul, the master of my fate”. I think we all need these reminders. "I.Am.IN!" Jesus knew this guy's heart. Wouldn’t have it any other way! Great awareness post — makes us think! And the reason it is so difficult is precisely this idea of giving up everything. Follow Jesus. It is the basic requirement one has to meet before embarking on the Christian journey. So we surrender our body, soul, spirit, heart, mind, will, and strength to you. ... Jesus calls it taking up our cross as it involves the death of what is dear to us. It means we make no demands from God. HE gave me Himself. The disciples no doubt had it in them, but I am sure it was just as difficult for them as it is for modern days people who are striving to follow Jesus. I had to give up a lot, but don’t regret one second of it. Following Jesus will force us to give up the requirement to understand everything up front. After Jesus rebukes him, he goes on to say the lines above. It isn’t easy. Execution is never an easy business. Through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross, and by faith in him, … What Does Creativity Have to Do with Your Feminine Side? Every person who desires to follow Jesus must give up something. There is no such thing as a "halfway disciple." I think I had to give up my way and pride. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. We serve an awesome God. -> https://bit.ly/3nHw6Au. Jesus calls us to be willing to give up anything and everything in following Him. God bless. I give up being in charge of my own life. What’s CLEAR is that Jesus is going. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. He was calling me down a road that I was not sure I wanted to travel. The best thing a man can give God is himself, but he cannot do that until he learn to deny himself. He then asks Jesus whether there is anything he still lacks. While it seemed crazy to a lot of people, I realized, that this was part of the journey Jesus called me to in my life. In our world today, there are a lot of things that pull at our hopes, dreams, and desires. Yet, Jesus, in the middle of all these things is calling us into something greater. Sometimes, it is hard for us to hear with everything being thrown at us though. Afi Pittman with Author of Faith Ministries, Noel Williams ...https://sweetlifekitchens.com, Follow Let's Talk Gospel on WordPress.com. Jesus said that to become His disciple, I had to take up my cross. Following Jesus when you want to give up I am so thankful that I have continued to follow Jesus. Not many of us would walk away from a job to uphold Christian values. ( Log Out / I walked away from a career that was not pleasing to God, in the process I lost my home and much else. It was to share Jesus with people right here in the United States. Turn off your phone. "BOOMLet's do this thing!" Hello, jlue! Thanks so much for stopping by my friend. Blogs, websites, and other outlets are trying to convince us of how we should be living.
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