Running After Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

RUNNING AFTER JESUS

Luke 18:26-30

26 Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" 27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."  28 Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!" 29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God   30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." 

NIV

In this age and the age to come covers a lot of time, although the age to come is beyond the time spectrum we are now functioning under. Jesus made it clear, first that what was impossible with men is possible with God, and after Peter said about leaving everything he had behind to follow Jesus, he told this other truth. We think most people of faith believe they will get a reward in heaven. In fact, we have heard some believe because of how much we do here on earth that we will get more jewels in their crown. There is no evidence in scripture of that thinking, and the crown that we will receive is the crown of life is simply metaphorical for eternal life. There isn't going to be any believer walking around heaven with a jeweled crown. A few of the the Psalms of David speak of God crowning us with love and compassion and the other is God will crown the humble with salvation. Let’s just put this foolish crown with jewels away and think about receiving many times as much in this age and the age to come because we left everything behind to follow Jesus. Of course, we may not have left everything behind like Peter or the others did, but we left our old life behind. But what consisted of our old life? We think some believers just feel that was a life of sin, and when we were first saved, they told us our new life was one of no smoking, no drinking, dancing, going to movies, roller rinks, and bowling alleys, along with a lot of other don’ts with a list of the do’s, which were the list of good deeds that is part of our new life in Christ. Times have changed, many of those rules of men have gone by the wayside which only points to the rules of men are not the rules of God for he never changes. What Jesus said has and will continue to come to pass. We have been blessed in so many ways in this life, physical ways, blessings one after another. God has provided us with more than we need, and done it because Jesus promised he would. However, we still struggle with leaving some things behind, well, one thing, and that is the system we live under in this world. If we believe this world is not our home, and our treasures are laid up beyond the blue, the treasure of eternal life, and the angels beckon us from Heaven's open door, then we can’t feel at home in this world anymore, then we need to live in the kingdom of God, and not by the kingdom of this world. Plainly, that means we need to leave beyond the worldview of success, or achieving all our wants and desires with our own efforts, or by our own skills, talents, education, or in general, ourselves.  Jesus said to trust in him and to trust in God. How can we trust in ourselves and in Jesus at the same time? How can we serve two masters? Following Jesus brings more love, joy, peace, and comfort than we could ever want, plus all the things of this world, the pagans run after. Turning to Jesus is turning away from the old system of life. Let us always be running after Jesus.