Follow Me as I Follow

It amazes me how much our kids repeat our habits whether good or bad. Unfortunately, they seem to pick up our bad habits quicker than our good ones. It must be easier to do wrong...

"Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ."
Philippians 3:17-18

Sometimes we water down what Paul was really like. He was a murderer and not just some murderer but a killer of God's people. On that road to Damascus a ray of hope came into his life and now he doesn't just say pattern your lives after mine but he lives it. He urges the Corinthians to imitate his life in 1 Corinthians 4:16. That is a bold statement.

Can we say the same thing? Do we live a life that people want to follow?

How do we get to that place where people imitate us for a good, godly reason? Not because of our sense of style, our athletic ability, musical talent, or the house or car we own. But people want to be like us because we follow Christ?

"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." Philippians 2:3-5

Jesus brought the good news to the poor, proclaimed the captives free, the blind could see, the oppressed were set free. Not just physically but spiritually. He gave a voice to the mute and names to the faceless. Hope. He became one of us, but more than that, He became our servant, showing us how to live.

The only way to become like Christ is to spend time with Christ.

"Tell me how much time you spend alone with God and I will tell you how spiritual you are. Not how many meetings you go to, not how many gifts you have, not how many sermons you preach, not how many records you have made. Tell me what time you spend alone with God and I will tell you how spiritual you are." Leonard Ravenhill

Do people know you spend time with Jesus? They will by your life. This was true with Paul, the two prisoners, and the other disciples. To have the attributes, attitude and to be someone who people want to be like, you have to spend time with God. If you spend time with Jesus you will start to change and people will notice.

So the question is, why should people follow you?

Be blessed,
Steve

Who is in Control?

Remember the popular bumper sticker a few years back that said, "God is my co-pilot"? Think about that statement. If you truly believe that then it means God is not in control of your car, someone else is, and that someone is you.

One of the definitions of the word control is "the power to rule".

So who is really in control of your life?

Society tells us that we should take control of our life. And let's be honest, we love being in control. We think that our way is best so we have to give our opinion to anyone who will listen. Having some sort of control in our life isn't necessarily bad, but the attitude or motive behind it can be.

Colossians tells us these are some of the things lurking in us: lust, anger, selfishness, greed, pride, disobedience, gossip, envy, breaking your promises, dirty language, rage, idolatry, drunkenness, jealousy and impurity. Paul tells us that when we are in control these are the things that come out of us. They are lurking in us and as long as we have control over our lives they are going to keep coming back because we are ALL sinners!

But I hear over and over, "well I don't do that", "that isn't that bad" or "everyone does it". My favorite is "I'm a good person, especially compared to..." But Paul tells us in Romans 3 that no one is good! We are NOT the standard...God is...and when we compare ourselves to Him everyone will fall short.

We have filled our lives full of these heavy burdens, these sins. Jesus offers us freedom from these burdens but we have become comfortable with them. We are afraid to let go of our habits because anger may be the only way we know how to deal with things. Gossip makes us feel like a part of the crowd. Lust makes us feel wanted. Money makes us feel powerful. Pride makes us feel like we are somebody. But in Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus says He wants to take this burden from us. It is hard to let go of these habits in my life, which is silly because they are destructive not only to me but to others around me. But as I turn them over to Jesus He gives me: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23.

Only He can do this. If you are not going to the cross, to Jesus Himself, you are only putting a band-aid over a wound. We need to remember that we are NOT God, we are NOT in control! If you claim to be a Christian you have nailed these sins to the cross. If we are going to be the body of Christ this crap has to go! You must give up control. You will know if you have control or if God does by what is coming out of you.

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:24-25

Be blessed,
Steve