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Follower

Have you ever thought about what you may want written on your tombstone? They are  final words that are written about you and intended to encompass who you were and how you lived.  They are etched into stone in hopes that they will stand the rest of time. They are powerful words. Years of living summarized in one short sentence.

Recently, I read a verse and thought, "That would be an honor if it were used to summarize my life.  I'm not sure I'm bold enough to state it myself. I'm also not sure it has the same impact if I ask for it to be on my tombstone. Rather, it would be an honor if God said it about me."

The words I'm speaking of come from Matthew 21:6, "The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them." I think space is limited on a tombstone. So, maybe it would better be stated as, "He did what he was told to do."

To me, the goal of being a Christian is to follow.  The word follow shows up in the Bible over 400 times. The first it is mentioned is in Genesis and the last is in Revelation. Jesus said to Peter and the guys He was fishing with,'“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”" (Matthew 4:19)

When we follow Jesus we choose love as our modus operandi or our way of doing things. He gave us a new commandment. We are to love one another as Jesus loved us.  By the way we love they will know we are His disciples (followers).  Love needs to become the filter through which we see all things and is the motivation for all actions because we have chosen to follow Jesus. 

I don’t know about you, but reading that last sentence is difficult. When I consider my actions and what I see in this world, I fall short of this bar set by Jesus. There are times when my words, temper, and thoughts lack love. There are times that if a person who doesn’t know Jesus saw or heard me, they would question if I were a follower of Jesus. I hope that my moments of shining like a follower of Jesus outweigh my moments described above. 

I long for God to say, "His tombstone should read 'He did what he was told to do.'" It would mean I loved like Jesus. I’m not there yet.  I’m still a work in progress trying to do what I am told.  

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Matt


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