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2000-08-17 - Don't Follow Me
Luke 9:22-23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone
wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow Me. (NAS)
I recently had someone pronouncing just how wonderful I was and how they
wished they could be like me. That thought scared me more than words can
say. I thanked the person who wrote and assured them that they would be far
better off following Jesus than me. I stopped for a minute and thought about
the real me. The one that only Jesus truly knows. I myself and a few very
close friends are aware of a few of my weaknesses and times that I have fallen
hard. While they have cared for me and picked me up and dusted me off, cleaning
out the cuts and scrapes - and never showing a shadow of deserting me - it
does not change the fact that I had sinned against God and needed forgiveness
just like anyone else.
I have been given glimpses over the edge of the cliff that is the boiling,
seething pit that is my wicked old heart. The longer I am a Christian, the
more and more I know just how dependent I am on Jesus for my very next minute.
The more I know of my own depravity, the more grateful I am for His salvation
and all that He has done for me.
Ps 37:4-6 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall
give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto
the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light,
and thy judgment as the noonday. (KJV)
This is an amazing promise. God has so many good things in store for us,
in this life and the next. But they are not always what we think they will
be. The streets of Heaven are paved with gold, so the extreme hoarding of
wealth becomes less and less important. We will walk those streets and fly
through the air to meet Jesus at His return, so fast cars and things become
less of a passion. I have spoken with men and women who have been Christians
for many decades and they have a sense of the things of this world fading
from their view. The point is that the desires of their hearts have been
changed as they have become more and more conformed to the image of their
Savior and Lord.
A little boy asked his sister if God could be seen. She said no, that God
lived inside us and we can't see our insides. This seemed logical to the
boy. But he asked his mom just to be sure. She explained that God is a spirit,
and that He is all around us and inside us - but we can't see Him. We have
to trust Him, knowing that He is there. This sounded even better. While sitting
out on a hillside with his grandfather, he asked the same question. Without
taking his eyes off the brilliant fall colors bathed in the light of sunset
he said, "Sometimes, He is all that I can see." The view of God changed at
every step along the way as the process of being conformed to the image of
Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:25 "For what is a man profited if he gains the
whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? (NAS)
The desires of my heart are toward my friends and my children and my wife
more and more. This time that I am permitted to share the things on my heart,
even when difficult, is very special. These things are becoming my treasure
that will be stored up in Heaven where moth and rust will never touch them.
There is no amount of wealth that will build a bridge to God, no human logic,
no human goodness or political power or ability to debate that will gain
entry to God's eternity. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life."
He is the open door, the road home and the lamp that lights our path. He
is the singular way.
If anyone has the misguided perception that I am anyone special, I will gladly
correct that misunderstanding. I am a sinner, saved by the matchless grace
and mercy of a loving and forgiving God. If you want to follow me, I will
point you to the Jesus that gave His life for me, and I will walk beside
you. If you don't know this Jesus and think that God is a big "thou shalt
not" in the sky, I will show you the cross where God willingly gave His only
Son to die in your place and mine to save us. If that does not rattle you
to the core, stop and think about it. Everything that can be done to reach
you has been done. If that is not enough, look into your heart honestly and
see the pain and trouble there. When you realize that there is no way to
be good enough, reaching out with a little faith becomes more real.
Lord Jesus, thank You for everything that You have done
- for the many amazing changes in my life that You have worked to make happen
in my heart and life. And though I am not perfect, You never give up on me
and trust that I will be perfected one day. Thank You for walking out front,
for taking the lead and always being there leading as I follow. Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Mike
jmhoskins@gmail.com
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