"CHANGING LIFE'S STORY"
Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when he called his first disciples. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were casting a net into the sea when Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Throughout his brief ministry, Jesus called people to action using those same words. "Follow me." In his resurrection appearance in Galilee, the Risen Christ summoned Peter again with the same familiar phrase. "Follow me."
The Spirit of Christ walks by the lakeside of our lives today, calling us to follow him. The appeal has a number of meanings. In a general sense, we follow Christ by engaging in a way of life consistent with his teachings. Follow can also mean watching something steadily or focusing purposefully, as in following the flight of a ball or following a speech. Jesus enables us to follow him in those ways, too. "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear."
To follow Jesus is also to live in keeping with the example he set for us. One way of life stands out. Jesus never let a day pass without attending to someone in need, most battered by life's crosswinds. He didn't perform random acts of kindness, as some encourage us to do today. Instead, in a purposeful and targeted way, he gave people what they needed.
By his example, Jesus calls us to extend meaningful help to others, not only to family, but also to those outside our home. In some instances, help is a simple phone call, e-mail, or visit. In other circumstances, assistance and support require sacrifice. His words instruct us to take up those responsibilities every day.
In the final chapter of the gospel of John, the author supposed that if everything Jesus did were written down that the whole world could not contain the books. In my life, and perhaps in yours, there are long stretches in which the ways I reach out to others in need combine for an uninspiring short story. At other times, the account of my sacrificial acts create at best a modest novella.
But an affirmative response to the Lord's "Follow me" is meant to be life changing. The pledge requires a commitment of heart and time. With that truth in mind, perhaps as the year progresses, we might look back and see that our life narrative is changing. With God's grace, it can become an inspiring and lengthy story that is pleasing to Him and dedicated to His name.
Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when he called his first disciples. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were casting a net into the sea when Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Throughout his brief ministry, Jesus called people to action using those same words. "Follow me." In his resurrection appearance in Galilee, the Risen Christ summoned Peter again with the same familiar phrase. "Follow me."
The Spirit of Christ walks by the lakeside of our lives today, calling us to follow him. The appeal has a number of meanings. In a general sense, we follow Christ by engaging in a way of life consistent with his teachings. Follow can also mean watching something steadily or focusing purposefully, as in following the flight of a ball or following a speech. Jesus enables us to follow him in those ways, too. "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear."
To follow Jesus is also to live in keeping with the example he set for us. One way of life stands out. Jesus never let a day pass without attending to someone in need, most battered by life's crosswinds. He didn't perform random acts of kindness, as some encourage us to do today. Instead, in a purposeful and targeted way, he gave people what they needed.
By his example, Jesus calls us to extend meaningful help to others, not only to family, but also to those outside our home. In some instances, help is a simple phone call, e-mail, or visit. In other circumstances, assistance and support require sacrifice. His words instruct us to take up those responsibilities every day.
In the final chapter of the gospel of John, the author supposed that if everything Jesus did were written down that the whole world could not contain the books. In my life, and perhaps in yours, there are long stretches in which the ways I reach out to others in need combine for an uninspiring short story. At other times, the account of my sacrificial acts create at best a modest novella.
But an affirmative response to the Lord's "Follow me" is meant to be life changing. The pledge requires a commitment of heart and time. With that truth in mind, perhaps as the year progresses, we might look back and see that our life narrative is changing. With God's grace, it can become an inspiring and lengthy story that is pleasing to Him and dedicated to His name.
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