Following Without Looking Back

Luke 9:61 “Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.’”

Am I willing to follow Jesus no matter where he leads me?
Am I willing to do what he asks no matter what it is?
Do I have the faith to respond to his call with certainty and obedience?

The tests of today bring on the expression of character. Character is not just an innate compass bearing that keeps our hearts, minds and bodies locked in on a constant heading. It is the continually refining development of our soul. If it were not so I would be heavily discouraged because there have been times of testing where I felt later my character did not stand well to the test. I look for something in myself that is the epitome of Christ; the outward manifestation of him within me. On those times when the test revealed a different character quality, it has deflated me, left me feeling shame, and disappointed me in me.

But the issue is not that my character gets revealed. It is that Christ’s character gets revealed through me. Am I close enough to him that I am covered in the dust of the rabbi? Does that dust come out as his character when I am tested? Or is my true human character revealed because I have not been close enough to him?

My human character has been, is now, and forever will be, flawed by my sin nature. No matter what I do, the part of me that is human will always disappoint, discourage and will be used by satan to try to deflate me. When I am disappointed in me it is only because my human pride is seeking to believe that I have any part of me that is sanctified or worthy when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

But Jesus Christ within me, as I am in close and intimate relationship with him, will be revealed more and more so that his obvious reality in my life will strengthen me. And then I can proclaim with confidence, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”