The Great Chew - Part 2

Part 2 of the great chew . . . Thanks Pastor B, for speaking hard truth that I needed to hear. As I continue to ponder Matthew chapter 9 this is where I humbly sit and sip my coffee. So...Jesus says "Hey Trisha, Come follow Me." It's an offer. I can accept or I can refuse. Always the gentleman, God gave me the gift of choice and He meant it. God wants me and He wants you too, but relationship comes at a cost.

Lots of people believe in Jesus ~ not as many are willing to follow Him and fewer still will become a student. To be a follower (or a student) of Jesus there are some things that I must do, and they aren't negotiable.

1. To follow Jesus I have to first accept His call. Jesus did not say "Sit, Stay where you are and follow me" NOPE! He said COME.  I am gonna have to leave some stuff behind. It will require action on my part. I make the choice every day. Do I sit or do I come?
2. My sin has to be dealt with. Yes, we are all victims of the original sin of Adam and Eve but what I have to confess, repent from and leave behind is much more personal than that. There are ways that I fall short of Gods glory; behaviors that step outside of His standard, attitudes that do not reflect His character, words that flow like bitter honey from my mouth - and surely break His heart. It's ugly. It separates me from God. It's SIN.  
3. I have to commit to the relationship. It's gonna take time. I need to actually MAKE time and stop just hoping that I will be able to FIND time to spend with my Lord.  Sometimes I wish God would text - but then I remember that he took the time to write me a beautiful love letter. Bible reading, meditation, study, prayer, worship . . . these are the things that grow the relationship.
4. I have to be a sponge and a mirror. To follow Jesus is to become more and more like Him. I need to be a sponge that soaks Him in, and a mirror that reflects Him back. If I don't the time to soak in God and if I don't let Him adjust my characters to His, then my reflection of Him will become distorted. I am the student, the disciple if you will, and Jesus is the perfect teacher.

Do I believe? Ya. Do I follow? Yep. Am I a student? Yes, for the rest of my life. So whats the take away. Well here are the 4 questions that I wrote down:

• Looking back over the last 12 months, can I see growth in my Jesus journey?
• Am I a better sponge and a clearer reflection than I was 12 months ago?
• If I am not growing and maturing, If I am not soaking up God and being changed by it, or If I am not a more authentic reflection of God to the people I do life with every day ~ who's fault is that? 
• What's Next?