Are you a fan or a Follower?
Our church is doing a new 6 week program for the men’s Ministry entitled “Not a Fan” an in-depth and convicting study of finding out if you are a fan or a follower of Jesus Christ.
In just two weeks it has asked some very thought provoking questions about my relationship win Jesus. Questions like,
What has following Jesus cost you?
Everything has a cost and when Jesus asks pick up your cross and follow me what did you leave behind, what did it cost you. A job, family, friends, promotions ?
Are there any areas of your life of limits to Jesus?
Do you ” follow” Jesus most of you day? , or all day do you hide parts of your heart away from Him knowing that He would disapprove of those actions.
If you died how would you be remembered?
As a hard working man, a family man , a man with a lot of toys, a rich man, how or what do you want to be remembered for in your life?
Those are great questions that after some pondering and praying on I have found answers to all of them some where not the answers I wanted but they where the honest truth, and I pray that you yourself can answer the questions honestly.
This past week we hear a story about a pastor who’s wife bought this cream colored sofa for there living room and with having three children he told her she was a brave woman for buying a light colored sofa ( anyone with children know why). Well some time latter they where cleaning the room and the wife noticed this big red stain on the underside of the cushion of the couch upset she called her three girls and her husband. The pastor looked at his daughters, then began to question them, before he got very far the youngest started to cry and admit that she was painting her nails and the bottle fell over and spilled on the cushion, not wanting to get in trouble she flipped the cushion over. She then asked her parents if they would still lover her after destroying the couch and lying and at that point her mom leaned down and looked his little girl in her eyes ,and said there will never be a stain big enough of to ever make us stop loving you.
In this life we all have a stain some bigger than others but we all have one. We walk through life trying to carry our stains with us, trying to figure out how to find forgiveness for them but instead of asking we lie and rearrange our problems so we can hide them from our friends and family. It does not take very long for the stains to become our master and for us to become slaves to it, like drugs ,lust, booze, abuse. We tend to cover our stains like flipping the cushion over we put on false smiles and other things to hide our stained, then it becomes our masters always ruling and controlling us in some way or another.
How much longer an you live with your stains? How much more can you bare? Why do you live life with all this disappointment?
Why do we wait to start over with a new forgiven life all we have to do is answer Jesus’s call to follow him. God is all knowing and the same yesterday, today and forever if I am going to be a slave I will be a slave to the only master who is in control. We are all slaves to someone or something wether its money , jobs , or drugs , abuse depression, porn ect.. Jesus told us you can only serve one master.You will never know true freedom until you trade your worldly masters for Jesus.
When you become a slave to Jesus your master will call you son, daughter, and friend.
His invite to follow me was sent out to all of us even the one’s who are hiding stain and the ones who think there stains are to big.
God can change anyone ,Jesus died for our sins all of our sins.
” the hardness of God is softer then the kindness of man” C. S. Lewis
I am looking forward to continuing on this journey with Christ as my master and learning that yes even though this has come with a cost I feel it was and is worth the price. I am Not A FAN I am a FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ.
And am now living life with greater joy then ever knowing that In a world filled with despair and disappointment we have a positive hope and a bright future in Jesus
God bless
I pray you will also become a follower and not just a fan.
Jon