When a follower of Jesus is really committed to do just that—follow Jesus—what does that look like?
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. What I’m learning, even after being committed to the Lord Jesus for quite a few years now, goes far beyond the “Sunday School answers” that we usually answer with. You know them—read the Bible more, pray more, attend more, witness to our faith more, give more.
Don’t get me wrong. These are all good things. Necessary things. Who of us doesn’t need to pray more? Understand more of Scripture? Etc., etc. But lately, I’m figuring out that being a truly committed follower of Jesus means that no area of my life is off-limits.
No part of me is out-of-bounds. If Jesus is the teacher, and I’m the follower, that means He’s got the right to poke and prod me any way He wants to. Much like my doctor does in my annual physical. If it were up to me, I’ll tell my doctor what he ought to check up on, and what he ought to leave alone. Listen to my heart with the stethoscope, fine. Hit my knee with the hammer to check my reflexes, OK. But I’d just as soon him leave some of the more, shall we say, “invasive” things alone.
Yet that’s exactly the problem—when you get to be my age, it’s exactly the invasive things—the uncomfortable things—that are most needed.
Over the next several posts, I’d like to take us to what may be some uncomfortable areas of following Jesus. Believe me—if they poke and prod you, it’s only because they’ve poked and prodded me first! Let me know where you are with these, if you’d like. But either way, I hope it’ll be a start to deepening our lives together as Jesus-followers!