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Being a follower of Jesus

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a follower of Jesus… a Christian. Let me give you a few verses/thoughts that are shaping my thinking… St. John asks and answers a great question – Question: “How can we be sure we belong to [God]?” Answer: “By obeying His commandments” (1…

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a follower of Jesus… a Christian.

Let me give you a few verses/thoughts that are shaping my thinking…

St. John asks and answers a great question – Question: “How can we be sure we belong to [God]?” Answer: “By obeying His commandments” (1 John 2:3).

What I want to know then is “what are His commandments?”

St. John tells us what they are! He writes, “This is His commandment: we must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another.” (1 John 3:23).

Another verse that is shaping my thinking is John 8:31…

Jesus said, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.”

There are a lot of other verses we could talk about, but it seems to me that these few verses efficiently summarize what it means to be a Christian:

  • Believe that Jesus is alive and commit to following His leadership in your life. (Check this out)
  • Allow His teachings to guide your decisions and shape your life.

What do you think?  Let’s have a discussion.

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Responses to “Being a follower of Jesus”

  1. MirroredGrace

    What this entry says to me:

    What Would Jesus Do?

    If that question was used as the measuring stick for every single thing that we ever do, there would much less grief and aggravation, and much more joy and peace.

    If we use this question correctly, we will always follow His commandments, and will always follow His will. Sounds so simple, and yet it is so very difficult to remember.

    Reply
  2. rindy

    I think this really looks at 2 different things–and the source of many problems with Christians (or should I say the perception of Christians)….believing is good, but that can be done in isolation. Following/obeying and loving one another involves others–too many times we fall short on that part.

    We keep it to ourselves, judge others, or more easily surround ourselves with other believers. Simply believing isn’t enough–and we see it in these verses! We need to allow His teachings to guide us, but we can’t pick and choose those that are convenient to us.

    Reply

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