Sometimes I feel like there are all kinds of prerequisites for people to accomplish before they are considered follower of Jesus. The list includes:
> A person must accept the free gift of forgiveness and salvation.
> They must be water baptized.
> They must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.
> They must serve in practical ways: at a food shelf or some type of social service.
> They must go to church every week, read their Bible and pray every day.
Jesus invited those around Him to follow Him. Once they saw what Jesus was all about, He tells them to give up everything else and follow Him. A rich, young ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to be considered His follower, his disciple. Jesus told him to obey the commandments.
Because the religious leaders identified 631 commandments to follow, the man asked Jesus which commandments he must obey. Jesus told him not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to lie, honor his parents and love other people.
This man already was doing those things but knew something was missing, so he asked Jesus what else he needed to do. Jesus identified that the man’s wealth was his first love. The solution was for the men to give his wealth away so that Jesus would be first in his life.
The man could not do it and went away sad.
Want to really follow Jesus?
Do not let anything else take His first place spot.
Not family, friendships, career, possessions, finances, fitness, nothing is to be ahead of Jesus. Jesus said that when you do put Him first you gain more than what you have left.
Luke 18:29-30
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
What do you need to give up that is making Jesus second place in your life?
> A person must accept the free gift of forgiveness and salvation.
> They must be water baptized.
> They must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.
> They must serve in practical ways: at a food shelf or some type of social service.
> They must go to church every week, read their Bible and pray every day.
Jesus invited those around Him to follow Him. Once they saw what Jesus was all about, He tells them to give up everything else and follow Him. A rich, young ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to be considered His follower, his disciple. Jesus told him to obey the commandments.
Because the religious leaders identified 631 commandments to follow, the man asked Jesus which commandments he must obey. Jesus told him not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to lie, honor his parents and love other people.
This man already was doing those things but knew something was missing, so he asked Jesus what else he needed to do. Jesus identified that the man’s wealth was his first love. The solution was for the men to give his wealth away so that Jesus would be first in his life.
The man could not do it and went away sad.
Want to really follow Jesus?
Do not let anything else take His first place spot.
Not family, friendships, career, possessions, finances, fitness, nothing is to be ahead of Jesus. Jesus said that when you do put Him first you gain more than what you have left.
Luke 18:29-30
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
What do you need to give up that is making Jesus second place in your life?
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