I believe until the followers of Jesus choose to be present, all the efforts to transform the world are in vain.
Many confess to knowing or having met Jesus but we still have broken and failing societies/communities. We have a shortage of true followers of Jesus. We speak about Jesus and his teachings but we are not committed to living them out. I love this quote, "God became man, moved into our neighborhood and became a small businessman; a carpenter.” Many so-called followers of Jesus are waiting to go to heaven. They don't realize that our life here and now counts a lot to Jesus.
The kingdom is to be experienced down here and now as it is in heaven. So the followers of Jesus need to address the concerns raised by Jesus when he say, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'LORD, when did we see you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invited you in, or needing clothes and clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and went to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”
Image Credits: https://quotesgram.com/quotes-love-u-honey/
I wonder what these means in your context but all these are clear signs of what Jesus is all about. He came so that we may have life and have it in abundance. Not half, not a percentage but in full. Having life in abundance is not just all about you making sure all your needs and desire are overflowing but is in living out what moved Jesus. It's in loving God with all your heart, mind, & soul and in loving neighbor as you love yourself. It's in acting in the long-term best interest of your neighbor. It's in fighting for the highest possible good of your neighbor.
We are called upon to follow Jesus in the marketplace, in our daily activities. Nothing is excluded from this. In all circles of influence; self, family, team, organization, and community. As we do whatever we do, we are to live out Jesus teachings. This is not just meant for those in the mainstream ministry, but for all. Whether it's in your business, working for the government, working for someone who you probably don't like so much, you are still to follow Jesus.
We all have good intentions and we judge ourselves by that. But our actions are wanting. It’s our actions that bring impact to people. It’s our actions that show evidence that we are followers. It’s not our intentions. No one can really say, “I have experienced your intentions and I like them. Your intentions have really impacted my life. I am different because you have good intentions towards me”. They might never even know of your intentions towards them. But, intentions are a good starting point. We ought to follow through on our intentions by acting on them. I believe, an intention could be planted in us by God because he wants us to impact others. He wants us to act in the long-term best interest of those He brings our way. So for that reason, He could plant an idea in your head and heart, then you start thinking through it and it becomes your intention. What counts really at the end of all these is what you do. You could leave it at the intention stage or let it come out as an action that will impact on others.
As a follower of Jesus, how are you living out the teaching of Jesus? Are you giving your intentions legs? How are you following Jesus? Are you present? What do you need, as a follower of Jesus, to be fully present in self, family, team, organization, and community?
If this resonates with you, go ahead to evaluate your way of life. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journeys of following Jesus. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be as small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.
No comments:
Post a Comment