If You Follow Jesus, Don't Take Your Eyes Off Of Him

He…said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…" —Luke 18:31

“In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ, and we end with Him— “…till we all come…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:13), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the missionary is to do God’s will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A missionary is useful, and he does win the lost, but that is not his goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matthew 10:24). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our “Jerusalem.” There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going “up to [our] Jerusalem.” “…there they crucified Him…” (Luke 23:33). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. The saints, however, do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace they end in glory.” - My Utmost For His Highest

What is it that you expect from your new life?  If indeed you are “picking up your cross daily and following Jesus.” (Matthew 16:24)  There is a danger that we “rattle off” verses, perhaps secretly “smug” with the fact that we know them, but don’t stop to consider what they mean if we should actually apply them to our lives.  Consider your cross in the context of Jesus' cross.  The Cross was the will of the Father, the very reason Jesus came to this earth to begin with.  I just watched a Tim Tebow clip on Facebook where he was talking about painting John 3:16 on his face when he was quarterback at the University of Florida.  John 3:16. God sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins.  He sent Jesus to be crucified.  Jesus laid down everything in Heaven to sacrifice Himself for us.  

“No greater love has one man than this, but to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13) 

So what do you imagine picking up your cross entails?  To do the will of the Father means that we must obey Him, even when it costs us something, maybe everything.  And it will.  Following Jesus means that our value system must change.  Are you more concerned about your 401K than if your heart is OK with God?  I think many people are afraid that God will ask them to abandon what they treasure.  Guess what, He already has.  Following Jesus means to choose the Father.  Martie and I are in the middle of a transition in our lives.  We are trying to figure out how to distance ourselves from the things that we had wrapped ourselves up in - house, car, job, etc. – those things are normal - reasonable - responsible - parts of the earthly, secular life, but can prove to be stumbling blocks as we follow Jesus.

Paul said “….  let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” -  Hebrews 12:1-3

Fixing your eyes on Jesus, like Peter had to do as he sank into the sea.  If you are going to follow Jesus, you have to look to Jesus.  Have you ever followed someone in a crowd of people?  It can be a challenge.  If you lose sight of that person, you may feel a little panic – your heart rate increases – you become anxious.  Is that how you feel about Jesus?  It should be.  Jesus did not say pick up your cross – and then do your own thing.  He added, follow Me.  If you don’t do both, you can’t be His disciple.  You will certainly be saved, but you will not be living the life God intended.  Your life will not reflect Jesus … 

“all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”  - (Isaiah 64:6

You can’t do this on your own. Your effort was not good enough before your new birth and it’s not good enough now.  Lay it down and pick up your cross ... then follow Jesus in obedience to the will of God and His glory. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone