July 13th

JULY 13th

Sometimes I think we sell ourselves short of that full life that Jesus wants to give us because we stop short. We think of Jesus as our ticket for salvation and that’s about it. I am not writing that to minimize it either, I don’t mean it in a demeaning way, I just mean that we fail to realize how He wants so much more than just to save us. Jesus doesn’t just want believers, he wants disciples/followers. The difference in the amount of fulfillment in the life of a believer versus a follower is drastic. This is both in general and on a daily level. Even among the followers, I wonder how often we are missing out on fullness of life because we fail to step out in faith on a particular matter or we get distracted by the world.

Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

The directions that Jesus gives us in the gospels have to be understood and followed by the power of the Holy Spirit not our human effort because to the human mind they are counterintuitive, -the exact opposite from what we would naturally do. Many do not experience the fullness of life available in Christ because they are not willing to surrender their own idea of what they are so sure would make them happy. Some miss out because their focus is on what they are giving up or missing out on instead of on what they are gaining (on Jesus.) Others just get hung up on “rules” instead of on the relationship. Our fulfillment is found in what Jesus has to offer but the route is unconventional, not of this world, and requires surrender and a transformation. Trying to explain this to someone who does not know Christ or has not experienced a real relationship with Him is hard to do. It requires thinking the way God does instead of the way the world does and it requires a perspective from His viewpoint, not ours.

Unfortunately, the Church over the centuries has sometimes been so caught up in number of souls/salvation/evangelism rather than discipleship that new converts think that is all there is, the final step, one and done.

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Yes salvation is that simple but Jesus didn’t tell us to evangelize did He? He told us to make disciples. When we don’t do that with new believers, they miss so much!

Have you ever had God show up in your life in a way that you knew it was Him? Maybe it was obvious He was trying to get your attention and was confirming answers to you. Or maybe it was an answer to prayer that came out of nowhere or when you weren’t really expecting it. Whatever the case, if you have seen God invade your space/your life, remember that feeling? -That feeling is not available to the world and can’t come from the world. Only God can touch you like that. So you can trust Him when He says that He wants to give you fullness of life and when He tells you how to find that you can trust Him even when it seems to be the opposite of what the world is telling you. You can trust Him when He tells you to deny yourself daily and follow Him.

If you haven’t experienced the Lord’s hand in your life in a way that made your heart swell, it is not too late. Ask Him to show up, surrender to Him to become a follower, not just a believer and watch what He does! He is dying to touch you and give you the best.

Lord, thank you for your love and patience. You are really amazing and it is incredible that you want to take time to be involved with me personally. I want all that you have for me, I want to follow you not just believe in you. Help me to grow in my relationship with you. Show me how to surrender totally to you and lead me on the path that You have for me. Help me to loosen my grip on anything but You. Thank you for your amazing love Jesus.