As a believer in Jesus, the goal of life is to "know and follow God through the Lord Jesus" and yet, what does that mean? The truth is that everyone seems to have their own version of what this means.
For some, it means to live good, treat others good, take care of your family, be kind to nature, and generally be a good ole boy (or girl).
To others, it means to add "love" into the equasion. The confusing thing about this (at least for me) is that "love" is either undefinable or is subject to much debate. Suffice to say that most who believe following God constitutes being "good" and having a "loving" spirit would add that this type of love is just a "live and let live" or "go along to get along" or even "peace at any cost" type of thing. This is a pretty interesting concept.
The reason this concept is so interesting is because it is totally opposite of the life and lifestyle of the one who followed God more closely than anyone else ever has or ever will. Jesus of Nazareth knew God intimately, followed God's will sacificially, and loved completely, yet His example is far different than anything we seem to promote today.
Jesus was indeed always loving but He had and held to a set of standards. In fact, not only did Jesus keep the standards God laid forth in the Ten Commandments, but He "raised the bar" to a new level. For instance, in the Ten Commandments God writes, "Do not commit murder." Jesus said, "If you hate your brother, you have commited murder." In the Ten Commandments God says, "Do not commit adultery," only to have Jesus follow with "If you look at a woman to lust after her, you have committed adultery in your heart."
All of this being said, the concept of following God is not left to our imagination, our concepts, or our guesswork. God has given us His word, His plan, and His method of following Him. What kind of God would make His creation "guess" at how to know HIM? The Bible is God's Inspired truth to us. It reveals life. It reveals a plan. And it reveals a purpose for each of us. Following God is made much more simple when we "read the instructions."
Originally from Mississippi, Bro. Jerry is the Senior Pastor for the New Hope Baptist Church in Foxworth, Mississippi, and the former AMD (Association Mission Director) for the George-Greene Baptist Association in the Lucedale/Leakesville area of South Mississippi. Jerry enjoys writing, golfing, tennis, softball, reading, and preaching. A professional musician for many years who enjoys a wide variety of music.
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