Going The Distance
“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23,NIV
Following Christ as his disciples is not as simple as well-intentioned but inaccurate religious people would want us to believe. It is no “chicken sandwich” at all. When considering being a sincere Christ follower, certain parameters have to hold:
1. The follower must choose to follow Christ willingly and not be coerced to. He must weigh his chances and come to a personal conclusion.
2. The follower must be new born. In John 3:5,Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” Meaning the old man has to die. He is expected to perfectly renounce all his prejudices, his errors, his idolatry, and everything that concerned his false religion; and that he should entirely separate himself from his most intimate friends and acquaintances.
3.The follower must commit to carrying the yoke of Christ which includes His doctrines as clearly laid out in the New Testament, and the sufferings and/or the persecutions that comes with obedience to it. However, God’s grace makes this yoke easy to bear.
4.The follower must continue to stay faithful to Christ even till his dying day.
So then friends, in following the Lord, we must not choose the wide and easy road that leads to self-deception and destruction but rather be willing to fully follow Him as we truly should. May the Lord grant unto us the much-needed grace to go the distance.
