WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS?

It means forsaking your way of living and your own way of thinking and rationalizing to be like Jesus.

It means daily surrendering your life to Him.

It means enduring hardship and ridicule for standing up for His teachings in front of your friends and co-workers.

It means:

*Forgiving people

*Loving people

*Serving people

*Not judging people

*Being humble

*Turning the other cheek

*Not using violence

*Associating with sinners and the poor and the outcast and the broken

*Suffering rejection

*Giving up on popularity

*Letting go of this life

And, it means learning from Him how to love like He does.

That’s what it means to follow Jesus.

It does not mean:

*Standing up for your rights

*Protecting your religious freedoms

*Insulting people who disagree with you on politics, religion or ethics

*Being a good American

*Voting

*Tithing

*Attending Church services

*Defining “love” in such a way as to excuse yourself for being a jerk

Following Jesus involves a daily surrender of your will and your life in exchange for His life and His perfect will.

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23-26)

All that Jesus asks us to do is this - "Follow me!"