Come and follow me

Currently, I am reading the book of Acts in the bible, and in particular looking at the conversion of Saul after he has a personal encounter with Jesus. What I am struck by the most is his immediate conversion, how it happened so quick that word couldn't even circulate for people to know ahead of time. This is obvious when we see the reaction of the disciples that he is coming into contact with, because they are initially terrified of him due to his reputation up to that point. Saul was not just any Jewish person, he was a Pharisee and focused heavily on the persecution, and even execution, of the new Christian believers at the time. When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus though, everything changed instantly. He literally did a 180 and went from persecuting Christ and His faithful followers, to preaching the good news of the gospel, even to his own detriment. He considered it worth the cost though, in his own words he said, "I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace," (Acts 20:24 NIV).

I find it inspiring when I see the stark contrast between Paul's former life, versus his life after he met Jesus. As Christians, we may not all have such opposite circumstances as he did, yet if we follow him faithfully according to His word, I believe that everyone should see a difference in our lives. When we look at how Jesus called his disciples, they all immediately respond to His calling and follow Him, leaving the life they formerly led. This involves a laying down of our own priorities and beliefs, and replacing them with His own. Following Christ comes at a cost, but as Paul pointed out, it is worth everything in the end. If we claim to follow Jesus, but our lives never change, and we look just like the rest of the people living in the world, there is no power in our testimony. The world would be unconvinced of who Jesus is if we just keep on doing what we have always done before, or what everyone else does. If our belief system looks more like what's going on in the world than what God has revealed in His word, I would say we need to look up and we may find that rather than having our eyes on Jesus nailed to the cross, we are following a golden calf of our own creation.

Although we are not saved by works or our deeds, they do still matter. The outward sign of a transformed heart and life should be visible in our actions and how we treat people, which should be in alignment with this faith that we proclaim. In the book of James, it is said that "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead," (James 2:26). Many other religions say that we are saved by our works, that hopefully when we die we have done more good than bad things and it will all work out. The bible has much to say on this subject, which is why it stands out as so different compared to other world religions. We are not saved by our works, we are saved by the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, who lived the perfect life that no human being could ever live, and then he offered it as an atoning sacrifice for all of humanity who would accept Him. It is not enough to just say with words though that we believe and accept Jesus.  The person who encounters Jesus and accepts His calling on their life should respond by walking away from the former life, and by striving to do the will of God moving forward. Jesus had this to say about those who do not live according to the faith they proclaim with their mouth only, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matthew 7:21-23).

Let us strive to put aside the old ways of thinking and living, and aim for the life that God has in mind for us. It is not guaranteed to be an easy life, the bible offers a picture of a hard life actually, likened to "taking up our cross" as Christ himself did. Let us draw inspiration from Paul and others in the bible who experienced God's transforming power, considered the personal cost of following Him, and said yes to His ways instead of their own. In turn, our lives will be transformed as we trust Him to help align our desires and values with His own, and the world should see the difference. Take heart, because he has overcome the world, so get out of the boat, and follow Him. Take up your mat, and walk.