"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
I held up a sign today.
As part of a visual sermon, I joined twenty others and stood on a stage, facing my brothers and sisters in Christ, and held up a cardboard testimony for everyone to see.
One side of my sign read: Seeking Approval of Many.
The other side: Following the Voice of ONE.
The first side represents my life before meeting Jesus. The second side proclaims the transformation that has taken place since my encounter with Him. On the surface, it seems pretty straightforward:
Before meeting Christ, I was a people pleaser.
After meeting Christ, I only followed Him.
But I have a confession to make.
When I said, "yes," to Christ, I did not stop my approval seeking ways. For me, following His voice, and no other, has been a long, slow transformation that has stretched out over the past 14 years and continues to this day. What I have learned is that it comes down to choice.
The way I live out my life reflects my decision to focus on Him or myself. Whether I consciously choose to or not, each day my actions bear witness to the invitation Jesus issued in Luke 9:23: Deny myself. Take up my cross daily. Follow him. Or not.
Truthfully, I have racked up an awful lot of "Or not" days in the past 14 years. It is a sobering reality and thus my need for confession. Today, I stood in solemn victory, mindful of all of the lessons He has had to teach me along the way. The beauty of walking with Jesus is that each of my failures has been covered by His blood. I am forgiven and stand without condemnation.
What a gift to be able to start over daily. And what a gift to claim His transforming grace that continues to teach me how to "Follow the Voice of ONE."
Abba,
You know me well. I stand before You and confess my shortcomings and sins. For all of the times I have chosen "Or not" rather than follow Jesus, forgive me. I admit there are days when my feet hit the floor and I do not give You a thought until my day is well under way. The truth is, Lord, there is no joy in my day without You. Help me to choose You. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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1 comment:
Thank you for sharing your cardboard testimony and thank you for your reflections about it. I was really touched by your confession because it speaks to the heart of my ministry. Too often we think of our relationship with Christ as a one time event instead of a journey toward perfection. Not only does that cause us to be racked with guilt for our failure to live up to the gift we have been given, it can also cause us to miss out on the rest of the gift: the journey toward perfection in the image of Christ. Thanks for sharing your journey!
will
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