How Far...

 How far are you willing to follow Christ? ... All the way? 

If the current culture leaves you behind while you're following Christ, are you willing to stay behind Him? 

If we're truly following Christ, popular culture left us behind at the station long, long ago, but staying in one place wasn't what we were supposed to do. The word "follow" is a verb, describing an action, occurrence, or a state of being. So when we use the word "follow" in relation to Christ, what exactly does that mean?

Something to think about while considering...

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone."  John 1:1-4 (NLT)

If you're familiar with the chapter, you know that John was talking about Jesus. What this means adds powerful light to everything we know about what God's told us and what He did throughout scripture - Jesus was there. He knew everything God did and said ... because He "was God" and was directly connected to it.

Add to this what Jesus Himself said to Philip and you know without a doubt that whatever Jesus said and did was in agreement with, and in obedience to, the Father.

"Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me." John 14:9-10 (NLT)

Jesus was with the Father before man's time began and everything that Jesus did and said was in agreement with, and in obedience to, the Father.  "The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me."  So what does it mean to follow Jesus - to be a disciple of Christ in that light? We know we're not perfect. God's laws have established that clearly for us, but if we're truly desiring to follow Jesus it should always be our first desire in everything we do, think, say, and allow ourselves to believe, ... to honor God - because that's what Jesus did. I believe that's what it means to follow Him. How far are we willing to go down that narrow path?

Our wide-open, current culture allows so many things in horrific disobedience to what Father God's clearly declared in scripture. Do we know and see the distinction between the world's culture and Father God's? What God's said not only gives us direction, but tells us about who He is. We learn something of His nature and heart from the Word. The creative, passionate beauty of His heart and His anger over sinful disobedience are on display for us to learn from in scripture - His spirit is revealed in His Word ... and His Spirit reveals His Word. 

How counter to current culture is His Word and how far are we willing to go against that culture to follow Christ? Almost all of His original twelve disciples willingly followed Him to their own deaths because they truly believed and were obedient to the commission that He gave them. They followed where He led them in faith and are honored by men and by God because of their obedience. We might say that we follow Him too, ... but how far?

If we want to please God, our heart's true desire and continual intention should be ... all the way.

If we've spent enough time in scripture, we know that God reviles disobedience - He cleared out one third of heavens angels over their disobedience and gave them a sentence that we absolutely want no part of. But sin is disobedience and though we may hold Christ up by the word of our own mouths as our Lamb, does our path indeed follow His? 

How far?

"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)