Have you ever wondered, when it comes to any action we make, if you can separate the “what you did” from the “why you did it”? As I sit in the passage below for a bit, I think that the Word addresses both.
Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we
have left everything and followed You.”
Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one
who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother
or father or children or farms, for My sake
and for the gospel’s sake, (Mark 10:28-29)
Peter said to Christ, “Behold, we have left everything and have followed you.” That’s the “what”, and it is definitely important to understand what “following Jesus” looks like.
- To go or proceed after
- To engage in as a calling or way of life; pursue
- To be or act in accordance with; accept as authority
- To copy after; imitate
- To watch steadily, keep the mind on; attend closely to
Is “following Jesus” more than mimicking His actions,
like in the children’s game, “Follow the Leader”?
Not wanting to ignore the context of these verses in Mark 10, let’s acknowledge that Christ had just had an interplay with a rich young ruler who desired to enter the kingdom of heaven, but was saddened when he was told how much it would cost him to do so.
Christ then used that situation to teach the disciples. He taught that truly being His disciple goes beyond the “what” (leaving everything and following Him) and He highlighted the “why” – “for My sake and for the gospel’s sake”, Mark 10:29.
Oswald Chambers explained the surrender involved in “leaving everything and following” Jesus, when he wrote,
“It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ‘This is what God has done for me.’” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.”
Have I left everything and followed Jesus, for the right reasons?
Don’t just read that question and move right on reading. Sit in it for a bit. Allow the Spirit of God to help you do some spiritual inventory.
Being completely honest, checking my motive for “good things” I do hurts because often my motive is so self-focused.
- How will I be blessed if I do this?
- How will people perceive me if I do this thing?
As I mull that over, I imagine how I would have felt if my child would only have listened to me because of what she received for listening, and not because she loved me. I would have felt somewhat used; like I was merely the means to an end to her.
Is that the way I make Jesus feel?
Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep my commandments”. The “what” is “keep My commandments”, and the “why” is “if you love Me”. Sacrificing “self” for Jesus. That brings to mind Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
A LIVING SACRIFICE
Think about that. A “living” sacrifice has the ability and freedom to jump off that altar any time it so desires. So what keeps us on the altar? Our LOVE for Jesus. Willingness to die to self and live for HIM.
I get the concept of dying to self, but if I’m being perfectly honest, I struggle to execute that concept; and sadly, that struggle betrays my heart, revealing that I need to grow more in love with Jesus. If I loved HIM more than I love myself, a struggle wouldn’t exist.
Oh Lord, I’m so sorry. Enable me to love You wholly and completely. Spirit of God, I pray that You would reveal to me areas of my heart and mind and life where my love for “self” trumps my love for You. I do love You, Lord; please help me to love You more. Enable me to see and be grateful more for the Giver, than for the gifts that You bestow upon me daily. I plead humbly and sincerely in the name of Your precious Son, Jesus. Amen.