In the beginning of Jesus’ ministry He said to the local fishermen, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” Matt. 4:19
Many people in the centuries to follow are still answering that call to follow Him. I have known Jesus all of my life, and answered that call at a very early age. Following Him is the only thing that makes real sense in my life. He helps me every day… to live.
In one of Jesus’ sermons where He teaches His followers not to worry about food, clothing and shelter, He said. ” Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. ” Matt. 6:33
In Mark 8:34 “When He had called the people to Himself with His disciples also, He said to them, Who ever desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up your cross and follow me””. His followers left their families, homes and were told to let the dead bury their dead. Jesus is to be first in our lives too. They were encouraged to strive to be their best for the Kingdom of God.
Christians leave unbelieving family and friends behind to follow Him. We turned from living ungodly lives and go in His direction. We chose the hard road instead of the easy path to follow our Lord. Standing up for what is right can be tough in a world that makes choices based on selfish reasons. The world endorses the “me generation”, with statements like, ” Do what feels good”, and “live the life you want”.
I chose to become a counselor instead of a oceanographer because I felt called to attend a Liberal Arts Christian college. I had wanted to work with marine life and animals when I was growing up. But I changed my course. I felt compelled to focus on helping people solve problems and live happier lives.
Since I am looking back on the choices I have made in my life…I can see that many of my choices were for the cause of Christ. Most of my life decisions were hard. I don’t regret living my life for Jesus. I can relate to the verse, “Take up your cross and follow me”. Carrying a cross is seemingly a difficult task, I have never tried dragging a cross behind me. I can only imagine. Many of my friends and family have the cross on their backs trudging through life maneuvering it to do the Lord’s Will. We ask Him to show us the way. We ask for relief from the burden. God is faithful. I have found myself asking the question, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” Good fruitful question.
Trusting my life to Jesus takes daily faith. What does “faith” mean? According to Webster, faith is trust or confidence, belief in the statement of another.” Hebrews 11:1 says, ” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.
One of my favorite verses to recite for myself is, Count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that this testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ” James 1:2-4.
When I think back to my teenage years when I was deciding what I was going to be when I grew up; I stepped out on faith. I decided to pursue a Christian Education and let God lead me. Deciding to abandon my desire to study ocean science was a great sacrifice for me. I know that I would still be serving Jesus, no matter what I chose. But what convinced me to go into counseling was my very own conclusion that people needed help and guidance for their souls. Animals souls don’t need saving, their habitats maybe…but not their souls.
Being a counselor for over thirty years has been rewarding and placed me on the path with some amazing people. People who have helped me through difficult times. The field of counseling in our world presents a plethora of beliefs and systems contrary to the teachings of Christ. Standing up to Christian principles can bring ridicule and persecution.
We all have challenges and problems in our lives that we alone are responsible to overcome. It is hard to live this life no matter who we are. We need to remember that people have serious problems worse than our own. As a Christian, the following words bring me comfort.
I Peter 4″13 ” Beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God, comfort their souls to Him in doing good to a faithful creator.”
It is easy to fall into the “pit”, and try to convince yourself that you are alone there facing various trials from life. We aren’t alone. All of us are tested in our faith. Our task is to live our life to the best of our abilities and trust God in everything. We are in His hands. He ask us to take up our cross, to leave our lives behind, and to follow Him. We bring joy to our Father when we do His Will for us, similar to the joy we feel when our own children chose to follow Him.
III John verse 4, ” I have no greater joy then to hear that my children walk in truth”.
So my question for you to ponder, “What have you given up in your life…in order to follow Him?”