Following Jesus - Pt 1

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26 ESV). I want us to consider that phrase “wants to be my follower.” What is the greatest desire of your heart? God looks first and foremost at the motivation of a person’s heart. The Bible says that while man looks at the outward appearances, God looks at the heart. What does God see when He looks deep into your heart? There are many people who have managed to hide the true desires of their heart from others. To look at them you might think they were committed followers of Christ. They attend church regularly. They are involved in Bible studies. They have elected positions in their church. They might even give generously to the church. However, when God looks into their hearts he sees only the decay of death. Their true desires don’t line up with those of God. In order for us to experience the victory of Christ in our life, our desires must line up with His desires. Ask yourself these questions: What do you want more than anything else in life? What are your greatest dreams? Of course there is nothing wrong with dreams or ambitions. I believe God wants us to think big. He has blessings for us far greater than our imagination. I don’t think God is concerned that we will be disappointed in His best for us. But, we must ask ourselves, “what if I never get what I want”? “What if God never answers my desires the way I want Him to answer?” Would God still be God in your life? Would you still trust Him the same, or even more? A great test of us maturing in our faith is when we see life through God’s desires rather than our own. Jesus said it like this, just before He faced His final persecution on earth: “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” Are you willing to say that today?