Wow. Has it really been three months since my last blog? Well, good news everyone, the blog is back! I will continue on with my plan to “Blog through the Bible” in line with the Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year guides soon. Today, however, I want to discuss a topic that I think is very important to all of us.
Actually, the discussion began a couple of nights ago at a late night Flying Star meeting. (Thanks to Justin and Paul for encouraging me to get some of these ideas on “paper”.) The topic is the idea that we do not have the power to change our worth in God’s eyes once we have been saved. To put it in terms of a question to all of you, Is there a divine difference between a deathbed believer and someone who has devoted their whole life to serving Jesus as far as the reward is concerned?
This is both an easy and a difficult question to answer. On the one hand, we know through Scripture that God’s love for us is limitless. (See John
The problem with this is that for many it begs the question: Why should I bother trying to live out a Christian life after I’ve accepted Jesus? Especially if His love for me won’t change? That is not to say that the above idea is wrong. I don’t think there is a requirement for how long you have to stay alive after accepting Jesus in order to be guaranteed that spot in Heaven. The reality is, however, that there is just more to the story.
Jesus talks about storing up treasures in Heaven by obeying His commands. He also warns a crowd about what happens to vines that don’t produce fruit. And finally, He warns His followers of the persecution they are going to face. The bottom line: Christ expects us to act on His behalf. The simple command He gave to Simon Peter reverberates through the years directly to us, “Come. Follow me.”
In my immediate circle of friends and perhaps elsewhere we are fond of noting that we do not want to be known as Christians, but rather as Followers of Christ. So what does it mean to follow? Anyone who has ever played Follow the Leader already has a perfect idea. When you are playing the game, the object is not to sit and close your eyes and try to think about what the leader might do, where they might go. Nor is it to wander around alone cautiously until you come to a tough spot, a wall perhaps, and then trying to imagine what Billy might do when he comes to this same wall. No, the game demands mysterious action. You are required to follow without knowing exactly where Billy might take you. It may get hard sometimes. You might wander into a ditch or be forced to climb a high wall, but the whole time you know that Billy has already gotten out of the ditch or over the wall and led others who have done the same, which makes it a little easier. And hey, if you can’t do it alone, the person in front of you or behind you will be glad to lend you a hand…I think you get my point.
The truth is, the life we lead post-acceptance is important. It is important to Jesus, but it is also important for you. A life that is lead with Jesus at the front of the line is infinitely better than following yourself. So, while your worth will not be diminished in God’s eyes if you stumble along the way, your worth to yourself and others increases exponentially when you are in step behind Jesus. Thoughts?
By Aaron Blackwell
3 comments:
Once again you amaze me with your literary skill! I can’t wait to see what is next. I also could not have said it better myself. There is some great mystery wrapped up in discovering our infinite worth in God’s eyes. If we truly grasp our worth in Christ, how can we not want to desperately follow him? I never understood the whole, hey I am saved so I can do what I want and get forgiveness on Sunday. Too many people claim Christianity and live that type of life, or even worse, claim Christ and never follow him. This is where you get the whole disassociation with Christianity and simply claim “I Follow Christ”! Sad state of affairs if you ask me, but one we find ourselves in. To me, when you come to the fullness of understanding what it cost God to save you, how can you be anything but humble? I am really glad you point out that as Christians our mistakes and choices will not decrease our worth in Christ but why would you want to use that as motivation to follow yourself or the world instead of Christ? So you hit the nail on the head, we can have an infinitely better life following Christ than following ourselves, and to add to that, I can’t help but follow Christ when I understand my worth in his eyes evidenced by what he did for me on the cross!
I think I have it a little backwards sometimes. I think sometimes I act to follow Chirst SO THAT I can try and understand my worth. And I think I often forget that Christ has been there first - Follow the Leader is a great faith reminder....
Steph,
In reply to your blog comment ... Why would you think you have it backwards? I really like what you said! I agree with you totally. Sometimes by following Christ, we see what he can accomplish through us (something we could have never done on our own) and when we see the result, we proclaim, wow Christ has really made my life worth something. Yes we have infinte worth in Christ all the time, but I agree that it often takes physical things (like the results of our actions when we are following him) to get an idea of that worth!
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