I will follow Thee...

"...Christianity is fundamentally an experience in losing the lives of our dreams in order to receive the lives Jesus died to give us.  Those who would bear the name Christian credibly experience a tremendous amount of abandonment in life." **

56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.  57And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.  58And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.  59And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.  61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.  62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.  ~~Luke 9:56-62

"Jesus is our only hope.  If Christians are truly willing to leave everything to follow Him, then they will, in fact, eventually leave everything." **

"The question is, 'Can we lean into the abandomnment?  Can we accept it as the Savior's invitation to find our lives at long last?'"  **

~~~

"We cannot change ourselves, and we cannot help but be changed when He reveals more of Himself to us.  To follow Jesus is to enter the lifelong process of discovering more about God than we know, discovering that "my ways are not your ways," discovering that we have been worshipping not God but an expectation of God.  Nothing makes it harder to see God than our own expectations of Him.  They blind us to the new ways He is at work saving our lives.  Conversion pulls us away from being religious, away from having all the answers.  It turns us into pilgrims who journey though life..." **

~~~

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind and with all thy soul.  This is the first and great commandment."  ~~Matthew 22:37-38

About two years ago I asked the Lord to teach me how to love Him with all my heart, all my mind and all my soul.  I told the Lord that I didn't know how.  I told the Lord that I loved my husband and my children more than I loved Him.  And...truthfully, and sadly, there were probably many other things that I loved more than my Savior.  I told the Lord that I wanted to obey this first and great commandment.

~~~

"Christianity isn't something we get good at.  Jesus' teachings are not hard; they are impossible.  Those who first heard Jesus' statement that the rich man is like a camel trying to pass through the eye of aneedle were shocked.  They asked, "They who can be saved?"  The Savior's response was that while it is impossible to be a Christian, all things are possible with God.  It always, always gets back to receiving grace.  But if we are used to earning our own way, nothing could be harder." **

"Faith means betting our lives on the grace of God."  **

~~~

We must learn how to follow which means that we must give up the expectation of knowing where we are going.

One single day at a time...

It is the only way...

Going to receive our daily manna...His perfect word, just for this day...

~~~

** Quotes from M. Craig Barnes

~~~

posted by Mrs. Klause

September 7, 2009

Comments

[Lorelie Krussow]

Kecia - for me by far this is the most powerful post you have shared. Thank you for reminding me what it is all about...

[Sammie Hunter]

Mrs. Klause, Thank you for this reminder. Our Lord is continually drawing us to himself and teaching us what it is to forsake all for Him. To take up our cross and follow Him. The more that I see myself, the more I long to be like Him. We must follow Him with complete abandon, one day at a time.

I am so blessed for knowing you and reading your words of wisdom.
Sammie