"Follow me"

For those of us living in areas of moderate peace, it’s difficult to envision a life other than our own. This especially relates to the younger generation which has barely (if ever) endured the wrath of dictators, the violence of war, the austerity of poverty, the bloodshed of terrorism, or the malice of martyrdom. Sure, we all agree that everyone on this planet has their own place in society. Directly and indirectly we may even cite Spencer’s economic “survival of the fittest” concept in an attempt to explain (or excuse) society. But this behavior all-the-more demonstrates our level of selfishness and egotism without which, it seems, the human species can’t survive a day. It’s an unfortunate way of life as it is seen on many levels – not just amongst gangs, mafias, and governments but also within the church. It surely distracts us from the life Christ wanted us to live.

Aside from the rest of the Bible of course, the “sermon on the ‘mount”, recorded in Matthew 5-7, provides us with a glorious representation of behavior which Christ would like to see in us. Most of us are very much aware of the content of those three chapters, yet often we act as though none of it pertains to us. Today, there is much confusion about what’s right and what’s wrong. Talking to some Slavic individuals at the NY evangelism this past weekend, I noticed a trend that they believe there is a God – no one denied His existence. Most of these people pointed out that every religion and denomination claims they know the truth, causing them to question the basis of each one. Seeing it would be difficult to convince any of these individuals that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), I was heartbroken. But hearing from them that we were “not like the others” (in a good way), made-up for some of that grief as I realized that it’s not about convincing and proving anything – it’s about our way of life. Christ’s sermon on the ‘mount is the perfect guide to accomplishing a Christ-centered manner of living which is not focused on me, myself, and I – but rather focused on my brother, sister, and neighbor. Christian’s carry the responsibility of living this way so as to lessen the confusion so many people experience about the purpose of life. When they see Christ in us, what confusion or misunderstanding could there possibly be?

In John 21, we recall Christ asking Peter three times whether he loved Him. After the third time, Christ foretold how Peter’s life would end. I’m sure that these were strange words to Peter but John continues to explain the meaning of what Christ said, “This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me” (verse 19). One thing which captivates me in this is the phrase, “by what death he should glorify God”. Have you ever truly considered that your death would glorify God? I doubt many of us have as this goes back to the beginning of this entry. In our moderately peaceful lives, we rarely even consider death’s reality. We don’t want to believe that our life may end at any second. Hence, we continue living the way we live and doing the things we do. But what leads up to a death glorifying God is the life which precedes it. After foretelling Peter’s death, Christ tells Him, “Follow me”. This is essentially what brings Peter to crucifixion; a life lived for Christ. The price paid on Earth with our flesh is nothing when compared to the magnificence of eternity with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Will you follow Him?