Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Yesterday, we began an in-depth look at this statement made by Jesus regarding discipleship. Jesus began by stating the criteria for discipleship with the word “desire.” It must be our desire to follow after Him. Our walk with the Lord all begins with our desire to do so. We must “want to” follow Him.
Jesus told the people that No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. (John 6:44) People are drawn by God to Him, but they must respond to that drawing and agree to follow. This is what happens at our initial born-again experience, but it will continue throughout our lives IF we have the desire to follow after Jesus and be a Disciple.
Being a Disciple of Christ is not a one-time experience like riding a three-minute exciting roller coaster that gives you a short-lived thrill of your life. It is meant to be an ongoing, never-ending ride, and it can be IF we desire it to be. The fact is, once we are on that ride, we never have to get off. God wants us to stay right next to Him every minute of every day and know that we are in for the ride of our lives with Him!
When we see a big roller coaster, the excitement and apprehension of what the ride holds draws us to it. We develop a desire to take the ride. It costs money and time. We have to buy the ticket to ride. Then we have to get in the car and prepare for the ride. It begins slowly and then picks up steam.
Although we have seen the track from a distance, we don’t know what lies ahead. It climbs straight up to the sky only to fall like a rock immediately after reaching the top. The curves are so sharp at times that we are almost thrown out of our seat but we hold on with all we have, knowing the track will soon straighten out.
Being a Disciple of Christ is more exciting than the most thrilling roller coaster you could ever ride. God draws people to it but few have the real courage to get on board. Yes, it’s up and down and will take you around some very sharp curves. We never know what lies ahead around the next turn or over the next mountain, but we do know it will be exciting! Do you have the desire to ride?
The desire to follow Christ will........turn the tide
On board! Doreen
