Necessary Transitions to Follow Jesus

You and I are called by God to follow Him. We are to be the people of God- living for God and doing what God wants. Though “following Jesus” is a common cliche that we all verbally agree to, not all who claim to be Christians are really living out the implications of what it means to follow God. Because we are the people of the Lord, we have the privilege of being God’s representatives in the world. The way we live and relate have the potential to change the world- for good or (hopefully not) bad. Thus, it is very important that we follow God with seriousness. Following God requires change. There are shifts of thinking and practice that are needed so that we can move from where we are today to where God wants us to be in the future. Make no mistake about it: there will be things to adopt as well as things to give up. Some transitions are necessary so that we can be the people of God that pleases the Lord and is a positively transforming influence on people. The necessary transitions include moving from mere attendance at church gatherings to actual involvement in the life of the church. As a church, we need to give up an inward focus and push ourselves, by God’s grace, to focus on the people and needs outside the church. People will need to be more important than programs. This is more challenging than most of us probably realize. But it is worth doing and would be richly rewarded by God. We also need to give up merely listening to truth and allow ourselves to become accountable to live out the truth that we hear. This will require relational connections within the church where we allow ourselves to come under the care and guidance of loving and maturing leaders. And we will do well to replace merely gaining head knowledge to developing ministry skills that will enable us to fulfill our mission for the Lord. But following God is the best life there can ever be. It is worth the risks and sacrifices. It gives the greatest rewards. So, today, let’s recommit ourselves to God to do all that is necessary, by His power, to please Him and finish the work that He has left us here on earth to do.