Hello

Jesus didn’t call his followers Christians.  The word “Christian” didn’t exist in Jesus’ time and didn’t come into use until a long time after he physically left our planet. So, Jesus didn’t say anything about being a Christian.  But a Christian is someone who follows Jesus; and Jesus had a lot to say about what it means to follow him.

Importantly, Jesus kept emphasizing that if we want to follow him, we must do so wholeheartedly and not allow ourselves to be concerned about other people or things.  There are many stories in the Gospels about people who were distracted from following Jesus by other people or things in their lives that they felt were important.  For example:

“To another he said, ‘Follow me’. But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’  And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’  Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’  Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'” (Luke 9:59-62)

At the end of John’s gospel Jesus is recorded as making a very important point about following him. He was talking to Peter and said, “follow me” (John 21:19).  Peter immediately drew Jesus’ attention to one of the other disciples and said, “What about him?”.  Jesus responded by telling Peter that he was not to wonder about the other disciple.  He said, “What is that to you? You, follow me.” (John 21:20-22).  I reckon Jesus says this to every one of us, “You, follow me”.

I reckon we shouldn’t look at our sisters or brothers and wonder about them or compare ourselves with them.  We are children of the same loving Father and our loving Father is a good parent.  A good parent recognizes that every one of their children is different from the others and treats them differently.  A good parent knows that each child has their own talents and interests and will grow up to lead a life that will be different from their sisters and brothers, so each will require different care and encouragement.

Jesus tells us to follow him.  The writer of Hebrews puts it very well.

“let us put aside everything that hinders, and the selfishness that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus.”  (Hebrews 12:1)

The writer says there are two things we should put aside; things that hinder us and sin:

• Things that hinder might include ambition, love of money, or anything that becomes so important to us that it distracts us from following Jesus.
• Selfishness is sin.  Sin is selfishness.  If we envy our brother or sister, or worry that they may be being treated better than us, or if we are proud that we are doing better than them, then we are being selfish.  We are sinning.

We must not compare ourselves with others, either favorably or unfavorably.  Jesus is our example.  We are called to follow him and him alone.  A Christian is someone who follows Jesus, and Jesus commands us to follow him wholeheartedly without being distracted by anyone or anything else. This doesn’t sound easy; but the more we focus on Jesus’ teachings, reflect on them and pray that we will understand and obey them, the simpler it becomes.

May our loving heavenly Father bless us and keep us safe; close to his heart.

Jesus is Lord.

Peter O

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