I loved Disney shows that had a fairy godmother with a magic wand as a little girl. The fairy godmother would touch the person with her wand and grant them whatever they asked her for. How handy or scary would that be in our human condition?
As an adult, I know a fairy godmother is a fantasy. However, I have realized that my childhood fantasy planted seeds of misunderstanding concerning my concept of Jesus and God and their roles in my faith. When God created us in our mother’s womb, he gave us the power to choose to follow Him or our sinful flesh and the world’s ways. He did not download us with His word or an instant understanding of how to follow Him.
Although our salvation is a gift from God through Christ Jesus, they are not our slaves or at our beck and call. We owe them everything. They deserve our loyalty, honor, respect, service, and obedience. We are responsible for learning about them and how to follow their ways.
Each of us has our unique journey that leads us to discover God and receive Jesus or to reject Him. There is only one way to salvation, and it is through Jesus Christ. Learning to follow Jesus in every aspect of our life is called living out our faith.
Our Misconceptions About God
Once we begin our journey with Christ through salvation, we may be unaware of what it means to live as a follower of Christ or where to start. If we do not receive teaching on how to be a disciple of Christ, we will use our current imperfect beliefs and understanding of the supernatural to try to make sense of God. Our imperfect beliefs and understandings may include believing that God and Jesus are like a fairy godmother with a magic wand. If we pray hard enough and believe deep enough, they will grant our wish.
In this fantasy mindset and understanding, we miss the amazing truth that God created us from His love to experience His love and to share it with the rest of the world. We are responsible for learning the ways of God and developing a deep relationship with Jesus. Unless we take these steps, we will operate from the imperfect beliefs and definitions of love and faith we formed from our imperfect experiences.
We must never forget that God and Jesus gave everything to give every person the opportunity to receive salvation and live for Christ. The only way to learn how to be a disciple of Christ is to spend time with Him just as His disciples did. Jesus told his disciples. “Come, follow me and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matt. 4:19-20, NLT)
Three Primary Aspects of Walking with Jesus
- Intentional is defined as done on purpose, deliberate, and planned. God intentionally created his plan for imperfect people to include His perfect son’s redemption and salvation for us. He knew when he gave us the power to choose; we would need the sacrifice of Jesus to reconcile our hearts back to Him. The history of the world has shown us that in our sinful flesh and with the devil’s influence of the world, we will not choose God’s perfect healthy ways automatically.
When you choose to be a disciple of Christ, it’s crucial to understand that you must plan to be intentional about focusing on God and Jesus. They must be your first and primary focus throughout your day. When questions arise, you need to ask yourself what would Jesus think? What would Jesus do? You must be intentional about living with and for Christ if you claim to be his disciple.
- Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness, and undivided. Looking and listening at the world’s view of moral integrity reveals that it is self-focused and self-gratifying regardless of the cost to others. Every type of immorality, from verbally degrading people to lying and cheating and rape, confirms the world’s unhealthy and toxic-abusive hearts and moral condition.
However, as Christ’s disciples, we are held to his standards of love, morals, principles, honesty, words, attitudes, and actions. God’s word tells us.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17 ESV)
- Trustworthiness is defined as reliable, honest, and truthful. Being a disciple of Christ is hinged on our trustworthiness to follow Christ’s ways. If we say we are a Christian or Christ-follower, we must have Christ’s attitudes, speak His words, and behave in the way He would. John, the brother of Jesus, said.
Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived. (1 John 2:2-6, MSG)
Everyone will mess up just like his closest friend and disciple Peter did. However, God is not asking for our perfection. He only desires to walk hand in hand with us every day and teach us, even when we mess up. Each step with Jesus builds our trustworthiness to endure the challenges when they come and be triumphant.
Walking in Our Faith
It is not popular to take a stand for Jesus Christ and live according to his honesty, morals, principles, and standards. However, as Christ’s disciples, our loyalty and life must revolve around Jesus and prove that we are indeed His disciples. Jesus came to earth to show us that we can overcome our challenges on earth through His love and power as we live with Him.
Walking with Jesus is more than living a moral and upright life. It is sharing His love and hope with people still confused and wandering around in the dark. It’s reaching a hand to those who have never known a healthy love or that it was even possible for them. Disciples of Jesus, let us not just speak words of Christ but let our actions match His love and ways. Let us be Christ’s light in this dark world!
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matt. 6:24 ESV)
