That's great! How do you plan to do that? Paul says that the spirit is willing but the body is weak. Jesus said, "the foxes have holes but the Man of God has nowhere to lay his head." The cost of following Jesus isn't a bill that anyone seems to volunteer to pay today. What do you mean when you say that you want to follow Jesus? Does it mean you want to be his disciple? The book of Acts in the New Testament has all that you need Scripturally to follow Jesus. But, let's look at some of the basics. We all need a firm foundation in order to stand firm in the promises of Jesus. I have to confess that I'm a Craigslister. I enjoy finding items or deals where I get things for free. Well, actually they aren't free, you need to have gas and a vehicle to pick up your finds. But, you don't have to pay for the item. I have used Craigslist to bless others that I know who have been searching for this or that, blessed others with my excess, and even shared the Gospel with those God has brought in my path. Some people see what I do as a waste of time while others know that I am the go to guy to find what they need or want. Salvation isn't free. Grace isn't free. Mercy isn't free. Yet, God has given them to us by being the sacrifice for our sins. He becomes the foundation and eventually the building in us where he resides.
I don't have much money. I have a dream of having a shop to put my tools in and to do wood working in. I want to use part of it for storage so the garage can be used for it's intended purpose. I've concocted many different plans for a shop but have found that my "plans" are folly in the eyes of God. Since he brings all good things to me that I need, I've had to step aside and let him shape the foundation, walls, roof and other parts by what he provides on Craigslist. Where once I planned on a sloped roof, I now have a double arched roof with windows in the front. How did that happen? Someone grew tired of storing their rafters (trusses) and was giving them away. So, I now have all the rafters I need. In fact, I have so many extra rafters that instead of 2x6 flooring joists, I now have more than enough 2x10 joist material to do the same job. Free. Well, except for gas and vehicle expenses. I had planned on 2x4 studs for the walls but, guess what? I was able to receive a bunch of new woos 10 foot pallets so that I now have enough 4x4x10 lumber to do all of the walls for the shop. Each time I have accumulated a new item for the shop I have had to redraw the design. That is exciting because I don't know what it will finally look like!
That's the way it is for the Christian. We look at the world's definition and build on that. WRONG! For the Christian it's important to let Him construct the building. That way we are fit for HIS purpose and not our own or that of some denomination. As we grow in our knowledge of God our structure is revealed and we are able to see more of His building. You know he was a carpenter. It's important that we don't resign ourselves to the design of some theologian, think tank, or evangelical organization. Anyone who is in touch with Jesus lives their lives in a constant state of positive discontent. We are confident in where we are but not content to stay there. We want more of Him and less of ourselves. We want to know what that new name He has for us (Revelation) is and want to see him face to face. This Christian is always homesick wanting to be with the Father who loves us more than we will ever discover. All we have to do is make a choice and never turn back. It's always your choice.
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