Really what Difference Does Following Jesus Make?

This morning’s post comes from Steve Wickham.   Steve is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP [Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min).  His blogs are at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com/and http://inspiringbetterlife.blogspot.com/ andhttp://tribework.blogspot.com/.  His Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/stevewickhamauthor

This post was first published as Really What Difference Does Following Jesus Make? on Epitome

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According to gospel tradition, the first words Jesus ever preached were these:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…

“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

~Luke 4:18, 19, 21 (NRSV).

The first five lines were read from the scroll of Isaiah (61:1-2) and the final line was Jesus’ summation — that was his sermon! And it created quite an impact (Luke 4:22-30).

Of course, the rest of the gospel accounts lay out the Jesus-story in ways so diverse their truths are everlastingly deep. But, just what personal benefit is there in following this ‘Saviour’?

Well, Jesus himself has answered that question above.

Needing Jesus – The Anointed One

It’s clear in reading the gospels that Jesus is the promised Messiah. But he’s not the sort of Messiah that the Jews were expecting; they’d misread their Scriptures. No military or political ruler, but a saviour redeeming a sinful world.

The truth is we all fall short of the best we’re capable of (Romans 3:23) in both theoretical and practical ways; how we think and therefore act.

It’s only from the acceptance of this fact — that it’s even a problem — that we can make the most of troubled circumstances as we embrace a once-calamitous truth.

Acceptance of our need is the end of one hopeless journey and the creation of a new one — one worlds better.

Why do we need to follow Jesus?

Because we need him to live anything close to a truthful life. Will we be like Pilate and say, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) or will we understand the impactful reality of this premise upon which all of life exists?

Discouragement, helplessness and hopelessness are now recoverable, through Jesus.

Good News to the Poor – Release to the Captives etc

Though this pithy passage from Isaiah is thick with theological meaning, our purpose — right now — is devotional.

The general truth is we’re all spiritually poor; by circumstance and disposition. There are times we’re poor and there’s the generality of our poorness. Our spirits are bereft — at truth — without God. With Jesus we’re promised not only redemption from the terror of the abyss we were to ourselves, but we have reconciliation with ourselves and, therefore, restoration.

This is a God-engineered reality; something we cannot do for ourselves.

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The good news is release from the spiritual dungeon entrapping us to lies, and the healing of all varieties of otherwise irreconcilable spiritually-mandated maladies.

That’s a day-by-day reality that is lived out by the person truly following Jesus — as the Number 1, and only effective, pre-emptive strike against fear upon life.

What difference does Jesus make?

The overwhelming evidence bellows: all the difference in the known world! — Even to the point that we’re in awe of how indescribable and unfathomable the difference is.There’s no veritable limit to the grace of God to sanctify and heal us.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.

I Have And Always Will Belong to God

This morning I was reflecting on the incredible nature of God’s love not just for me but for all of humankind.  So I thought I would share this prayer that came out of my reflections with you.  As you will see it has a little of the flavour of Psalm 139 which is one of my favourite psalms and a great one to meditate on as we think about God’s love for us.

Lord Jesus Christ I trust my life to you

My times are in your hands

Before I was formed you knew me

I give my past to you

So that you can uncover and heal my pain

Each day you sustain and give life to me

I give this present moment to you

So that I can live fully immersed in your ways

Your thoughts of me are precious

I give my future to you

So that I can become all that you intend me to be

Past, present, future are all held in your abiding presence,

May I live always in the knowledge of your unfailing love

 

Don’t Try and Escape the Desert

We are into the second week of Lent and it seems to me that the attention of many of us is wandering.  We are on to the next thing before we have completed this one.  So this is my challenge for today.  Don’t try and escape the desert and cut short what God wants to accomplish in your life during this season.  It can be painful but it is liberating.  Desert experiences are always meant to prepare us for entry into God’s promised land where shalom, wholeness and abundance are provided for all.

I could not help but think about this today as I gazed out on the mountains.  Their winter snow provides us with water over the summer.   If the snows don’t come then we suffer drought.  We need the pain of dark rainy and snowy days to sustain us through the season that lies ahead.  And the season of Lent is one of those times when God is storing up within us the resources we need to see us through the summer seasons of growth.

These thoughts in turn inspired the writing of this prayer

May we look from the heart of God

And see afresh enormous love poured out

A son hung upon a tree and crucified

May we return to the womb of love where God holds close

And suffer in union with the God of compassion

Unafraid to share life with hurting neighbours near and far

 

Nobody Follows Jesus – So Why Should You

Today’s post comes from Keith Giles author, blogger and freelance copywriter in Orange County, California.  He is the author of “The Gospel: For Here or To Go?” and “Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)”. He’s been writing and teaching on faith, culture and the Kingdom of God for longer than anyone cares to remember. He blog at http://www.KeithGiles.com. where this article was posted last week

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Nobody follows Jesus anymore. Just look around, and you’ll see what I mean. How often do you ever see someone show love to a person who is in their face? Have you ever once heard of anyone chasing a thief down the street screaming, “Hey, you forgot my DVD player!” or witnessed a person who has just been slapped in the face turn their head to offer the other cheek?

I doubt it.

That’s my point. Jesus had some pretty radical teachings. Love your enemies. Pray for those who abuse you. Give to those who steal from you. Lend without expecting anything in return. Bless those who curse your name.

Even the most casual glance at the words and teachings of Jesus will tell you this guy had unreasonable expectations of those who would dare to follow Him. It was almost as if He was trying to thin the crowd by raising the bar so high.

He doesn’t stop there. No sir. Jesus even goes so far as to say that those who follow Him must deny themselves and take up their own cross (an instrument of brutal torture and death). In fact, He says if you don’t do this, you “cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

No wonder no one follows Jesus anymore.

Now, I’m not suggesting people don’t believe in Jesus anymore. There are millions and millions of people out there who really do believe a guy named Jesus actually lived 2,000 years ago. They believe that He was the Son of God, and God the Son, and that He lead a sinless life, died on the cross for their sins and rose bodily from the grave three days later. Yep. They all believe that. But, those people don’t really follow Jesus, not the way He expected them to.

Maybe that’s why Jesus wondered out loud, “When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Maybe He knew after 2,000 years of Christianity, we’d just have given up on following His specific example of how to live.

G.K. Chesterton once said, “It’s not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting; it’s that it has been found difficult and left untried.”

I think Jesus really did expect His followers to live extravagant lives of love as He commands in Luke 6:27. He wasn’t kidding around.

He’s pretty clear that the kind of love the world has is nothing special at all. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that” (Luke 6:32).

Jesus was trying to get His potential followers to understand they were expected to model a standard of love that went far, far beyond what anyone living on this planet had ever encountered or dreamed of before. A kind of love that could change someone’s life for eternity.

Once you understand this, it starts to make more sense. Jesus calls His followers to this kind of life for a reason—so we can show those who aren’t aware of the kindness of God what it means to be loved, forgiven and shown mercy.

Yes, Jesus expects us to actually do these things.

Yes, it will hurt.

Can you think of a better way to show those who are far from God that He really loves them, Christianity is the “real thing,” and forgiveness is for them?

Imagine a world where we all actually did this stuff on a daily basis.

Would it change the world? Would it change the world’s idea of Christianity? Of Christ?Would it set the teachings of Jesus apart from every single other religious figure who had ever lived?

Isn’t it ironic to think the most radical thing a modern Christian could do today would be to simply do exactly what Jesus says? Yeah, it’s really a shame that no one really follows Jesus anymore. But, can you imagine what would happen to the world you live in if even a few people actually did?

Not only that, Jesus promises those who actually do put His words into practice will be blessed and have life abundantly. Maybe it’s time to start following Jesus? Maybe it’s time to take Him seriously? What do you think?

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).