I Will Follow You.

Can I pick God over.. EVERYONE?

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.(Luke 14:26)

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39)

The idea of picking God over everyone else was a very scary concept. Yeah I read it. Yeah I saw it. Yes I know!

Can I pick God over my parents and siblings? Yes! No questions asked, sorry guys.

Can I pick him over my friends? Yup, in a heartbeat. Love you! But you heard the man. I have to choose him over all.

Can I pick God over my kids? Uh… um… Yes? I mean Yes. I love them and I know HE will take care of them. This one's a little harder. I feel the pull of control and the urge to not let go. I mean I’m their mom! Who knows them better them me? I mean come on, right?! Right? No. I may know them but who knows them better than me than God the father. So yea, I can choose God over them. I know that even though I am their mother I can’t parent them without God. I can’t teach them all that needs to be taught without him. I mean I can, but then they would have an Earthly outlook and for me and my house we serve the Lord. So I ask for him to give me the tools I need to teach them the way HE wants me to.

Can I pick God over my spouse?Uh.. Um.. So.. Oh wow. Wait just a bit. Pick what over who now?

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)

I had a totally knee jerk reaction when it came time for me to make this decision. I love him and my mind started spinning; What if I do shift my focus off of him and onto God and He stops loving me? What if I get so caught up in Christ he loses interest in me and what happens if I outgrow him? What if I am so focused on the Lord that I stop loving him? Is that even possible? What will become of him?

These were real thoughts and fears, but lets really take a look at them.

*What if I do shift my focus off of him and onto God and He stops loving me?

This is a lie and I know that he will be won over by my behavior. (1 Peter 3:1-4)

*What if I get so caught up in Christ he loses interest in me?

I know he will be won over by the purity and reverence of your lives. (1 Peter 3:1-4)

*what happens if I outgrow him?

This was a hard one and the most difficult to swallow and one of the main reasons it has taken me so long to let go and follow. I do know now that I am called to live in peace (1 Cor. 7:15-16). So if we part I know now I will be okay and I WILL be taken care of. Isn't that the point of following? Knowing and trusting even when it is absolutely terrifying!

*What will become of him?

For this one I was truly worried about him. I was looking out for his soul, his afterlife, and his current life. To let go and to trust he would take care of was such a relief. I know he will be fine just like I know I will be fine. I put our lives in the hands of the one and only who can take care of us. I believe that we will prosper and be cared for. I believe and have no doubt ( James 1:6)

So again I ask, can I pick God over my spouse? Yes, I can honestly say yes.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)

Am I ready to fish for people? I don’t know but I can say I am more comfortable in talking about God. I don’t feel nervous or afraid of scaring people off or of sounding crazy.

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9)

I am choosing to follow when I am called. Despite any fear I feel I am choosing to say, “No. I will follow.”

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

To take up my cross means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. Willing to lose everything and everyone to follow. I am willing to do this, are you?

At once they left their nets and followed him.(Mark 1:18)

The passage made me chuckle because I read a book (The Empowered Wife By. Laura Doyle) where the author uses NET as an acronym for Needless Emotional Turmoil. NET means to feel or be in a constant state of needless obsession or worry causing distraction. So for me to let go of NET at once and to follow him spoke to me on a deeper level. I actually didn’t put two and two together and until I read this passage. Huh. I mean who doesn’t want to drop that and go?!