Follower part 1
I heard this term the other day: "I'm a follower of Christ." Now maybe that means different things to different people. Most things do. But in the context that I heard it, it meant trying to be just like Jesus. Walking in His foot steps. Patterning your life after His. Which, on the surface, seems fine. Seems like a good idea even. "What would Jesus do?" Right? But here's the problem I have with it: While the Bible tells us that Jesus experienced the human condition, and He's a high priest that was tempted like as we are yet without sin... we can't live His life. No one can except the man Himself. That's the difference between trying to act like Jesus--which will only ever be an act--and letting Him live His own life in, and through, and as us. That's the difference between trying to follow in His foot steps, and letting Him make His own foot steps with our feet. Look at Ephesians 5:1-2, our key passage for this Rant series. "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ himself hath loved us, and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." And, again, on the surface we see it in black and white. "Be ye therefore followers of Christ." But in the very next breath we see what it MEANS to be a follower of Christ. A follower of Christ doesn't try to act just exactly like the guy with the beard and the sandals acted. A follower of Christ is someone who walks in love. Period. I preached and Ranted a while back about what it truly means to be a disciple. And what it means is to be a student of love. Learning how to love by learning who we ARE loved. Following Christ doesn't mean trying to recreate His deeds. In fact, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father" (John 14:12 NLT). He didn't say we'd emulate Him perfectly. He said we'd do the same works... and even greater works! So if we limit ourselves to trying to do only the things Jesus did we'll miss out on doing some of the things WE'RE supposed to do. I've been in a situation where one of my disciples cut someone's ear off and I had to put it back on. But I have been in situations where I could give an ear to someone who needed to be heard. And you can try to compare apples with oranges if you want, but sometimes the smallest thing (in your opinion) is the biggest thing in someone else's opinion. Sometimes you can "raise the dead" by being there for someone when they feel so desperate and alone that they're thinking about ending their life. All I'm trying to say is that we don't have to try to be Jesus. Because He lives in us. And as He is, so are we in this world. We don't have to try to follow in His foot steps. All we have to do is walk in love. Let God love us, and love others with that same love. Receive it and release it. Let it fill us to overflowing and just be ourselves. Be who we are in Him, by letting Him be who He is in us!