Following Jesus is not designed to be a popular choice.
The affiliation with Jesus is in itself something that makes some distinctions. Those distinctions might have expressions regarding taste in social and cultural norms. Yet the real area of distinction is on who is the main authority in life. That authority makes all the difference.
In encouraging the saints in his letter, the loved friend of Jesus, the apostle John shared these words about their identity,
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John)
What a contrast – children of God in receipt of the love of God are recipients of a vast and amazing love. And at the same time that somewhat alienates them from the world they’re in. The same world that did not receive Jesus. The same world that was challenged and confounded by God and so dealt with Him by crucifying His only son. Or so they thought they had dealt with Him.
If folks didn’t comprehend Jesus, how are they supposed to respond to those who follow Him? If folks misunderstood Jesus, how are they meant to engage with those who pledge their allegiance to Him?
Followers of Jesus don’t have to go out of their way to appear different to others. They simply have to do what He says and that in itself will put them at odds with the culture in which they find themselves, however rooted it might claim to be in a Judaeo-Christian basis.
Yet what keeps those followers going is the exact same love that established them as children of God in the first place. Active and open recipients of that love see how it equips and empowers them to keep going. not only that, this love informs them that the Jesus that they follow is the one they pin all their hopes on. For one day they are promised a time of seeing and being like the one they’ve been following all this time. and that is such a wondrous promise and such a great hope, that they’ll persevere in the purifying process of following Him to be like Him.
They persevere in it, even if it is not the popular choice.
(Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 