Selfishly Following Jesus

Whether they realize it or not, many believers are selfishly following Jesus. They think by doing so, they'll have someone to lean on when they need Him, and someone to turn to in times of trouble. At the very least, they'll end up in Paradise for eternity. Some even expect material blessings in the here and now. This is a prosperity type gospel that is far from following Christ and what the Bible teaches.

These people usually say they are too busy to help much in the church. They want to receive the benefits of being a Christian without giving anything of themselves. Jesus recognized these people. We're told of the rich, young ruler who found the cost too high (Matthew 19:16-22); the man who promised to follow Jesus but expected to maintain his comfort along the way (Luke 9:57-59); another that Jesus called and needed to go bury his father (Luke 9:59-60), who hadn't died yet according to the Greek text; and the man who used the excuse of saying goodbye to his family. The moral of these stories is that we can't put anyone or anything above the Lord. He must always be first in our lives, even above ourselves.

In his book Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray puts it this way: 
Many believers think that when they receive Jesus, He saves them and then helps in time of trouble. Then they all but deny Him as their Master! They think they have a right to have their own will and their own way in a thousand things. They say what they want to say and do whatever they like to do, and use their property and possessions as they wish... (Kindle location 109-110).
He is the Lord of all we have and are. We cannot have Him in us and with us unless we yield everything to Him. Jesus' words have not changed. "Forsake all and follow me" (Kindle loc. 113).
Selfish people follow their own agendas instead of following Jesus. You can't do both unless your agenda matches the Lord's. You can't expect Him to alter His to match yours. Make up your mind today to say what Joshua did, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

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