December 13th
December 13th
Just add water!?
Throughout the gospels Jesus called people to “Follow Me.” He has continued to call people throughout history to follow Him. He extends that call to us through the Holy Spirit. 2 words, not a long discourse. But back in that day they knew what He meant. I don’t think we grasp the full meaning of those two words. Back then they knew it meant to give up their current life situation, often even family and friends, in exchange for Him and His very different ways. Today we tend to want to just add Jesus to the mix as if we are just adding water to a ready to use pancake mix or something. I would be willing to bet that is why we don’t see the Holy Spirit move in the same magnitude in our lives that the disciples did. We don’t up-end our lives and totally immerse ourselves in Him, we just add Him into the mix, unwilling to give up our pleasures.
Matthew 4:19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
I got to thinking about the profound effect that those 2 words had on people so I looked it up in the original Greek.
The word is Deute (dyoo-teh) and its meaning in the fullest sense is: Come away, follow me, come now!
It is warm but urgent, demanding a personal response, not just observation, neutrality is impossible, there must be a choice accompanied by action. It is a call to discipleship that overrides occupation, family ties, and personal plans. It is a call away from something and to something else (to SOMEONE else.)
Let’s think about this. When Jesus calls us, He is calling us out of this world into His world, into His dimension. Not to get all sci-fi on you but actually maybe if we thought about it that way it would help a little. Remember when Frank Peretti first published This Present Darkness? It impacted the lives of many believers because in that novel he painted a picture of the interaction/impact of the spiritual realm and physical realm on each other. Many Christians for the first time were able to imagine this in practical terms.
Jesus said we are in the world but not of this world. So maybe we need to start thinking in those terms. When He called us to follow Him, He called us to come away. He called us to come away from this world and follow Him in His world. He called us to live differently, think differently, act differently, talk differently, respond differently. His directives in the sermon on the mount were certainly different than the way the world was behaving (Read Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7 today.)
John 17:13-16 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”
His prayer to our Father in Heaven clearly states that we are in the world but not of it. He has called us out of this world, even though we still live here. This was intended to upset our lives, impact every facet, completely change us in every way. So ask yourself today, “Do I blend in too much? Would anyone know I am different by the way I live?” Is my approach to Christmas just like everyone else’s? Do people see the Joy of the Lord all over me during this season or do they mistake it for the “Christmas spirit” because my life is no different from theirs?
This Christmas season, hear the voice of Jesus calling to you, “Come away, follow me, come now!”
Jesus, I will follow you. Help me to do that with all of me, not just a corner of my life. Help me to do it despite the consequences that I may face. Help me to be all-in and see this as a fresh start, a new journey, a different path. Show me every area of my life that needs to be up-ended. Rock my world Jesus. Help me to reflect your Joy within me just like you prayed. Thank you for not leaving me be and thank you for calling me to come away with you!