Lee Strobel writes, "In short, I didn't become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take."
Some of us, myself included, didn't come into a relationship with Jesus until we were well along in our adulthood years. I remember doing my own searching and evaluating of the Christian faith, and while I may have taken different paths than Strobel did, in the end I came to the exact same conclusion - following Jesus was the most rational and logical step I could take next.
I remember all the things that the Holy Spirit worked on me about. This transformation was quite radical; at least from my perspective. One by one, the Holy Spirit said, "Russell, let's take a look at this." Inevitably, with everything that I am willing to allow God to work on me with, I am changed for the better.
The more time I have spent as a Christian, the more I have had the opportunity to work on. But I have also had plenty of opportunities to lose sight of who I am following. The pace of our lives, the demands of our families and jobs, all add to the white noise that can sometimes blur that solid connection with Jesus. We find ourselves following people, success, ideas, or some other tangent and neglecting our first love. We, however, were made to love, made to worship, made to follow. Everybody follows something or someone. The question I have to continuously ask myself is who am I following.
Jesus' command was a simple one, "Follow me." Today, let us endeavor to better follow the one whose life was given so that ours would be spared.
Today's Prayer - Holy God, we admit that sometimes we let things get in our way of our relationship with you. We can lose the true north of our compass. We can lose sight of you, our Lord and Savior. God, help us to be better followers. Lead us in the paths of righteousness and all that is good for your namesake. Bless us and protect us. Allow us to fully follow you to where those that are following us, might come to follow you too. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen.
Some of us, myself included, didn't come into a relationship with Jesus until we were well along in our adulthood years. I remember doing my own searching and evaluating of the Christian faith, and while I may have taken different paths than Strobel did, in the end I came to the exact same conclusion - following Jesus was the most rational and logical step I could take next.
I remember all the things that the Holy Spirit worked on me about. This transformation was quite radical; at least from my perspective. One by one, the Holy Spirit said, "Russell, let's take a look at this." Inevitably, with everything that I am willing to allow God to work on me with, I am changed for the better.
The more time I have spent as a Christian, the more I have had the opportunity to work on. But I have also had plenty of opportunities to lose sight of who I am following. The pace of our lives, the demands of our families and jobs, all add to the white noise that can sometimes blur that solid connection with Jesus. We find ourselves following people, success, ideas, or some other tangent and neglecting our first love. We, however, were made to love, made to worship, made to follow. Everybody follows something or someone. The question I have to continuously ask myself is who am I following.
Jesus' command was a simple one, "Follow me." Today, let us endeavor to better follow the one whose life was given so that ours would be spared.
Today's Prayer - Holy God, we admit that sometimes we let things get in our way of our relationship with you. We can lose the true north of our compass. We can lose sight of you, our Lord and Savior. God, help us to be better followers. Lead us in the paths of righteousness and all that is good for your namesake. Bless us and protect us. Allow us to fully follow you to where those that are following us, might come to follow you too. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen.
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