On being a Follower.

By now, you have hopefully read the title of this post and realized who is writing, so you can turn back before it's too late.

A lot of this comes from a message I gave this summer at camp, but it has been resonating a lot with me lately. Also, anything good in here is purely God and thoughts I acquired from the book Not a Fan. If you haven't read it, you should (Shameless plug). The rest, is just me, so if anything is silly or just doesn't seem to make sense or fit, you'll understand why.

Imagine a crowd of people... All of a sudden several sports fanatics enter the scene screaming and cheering for their respective team, dressed in their team's paraphernalia and ecstatic! If you really need help with that imagery, think of a sports game that you attended...

Maybe YOU are that crazy sports fanatic. Maybe you have SEEN fans who are willing to hoot/holler/scream for THEIR team. Chances are, you have at least experienced a situation like that... (pep rally, football game)

A lot of times we compare our fandom to those around us. Maybe we aren't as crazy, or maybe we ARE louder or the CRAZIEST fan of all. Our culture teaches us that its good to be this way-which it is- but our culture says its okay to just be a fan of Jesus, too. Our churches are full of fans-people who show up on Sundays, put on a smile, sing like crazy... put on an act.

but God calls us to so much more than that. 

WE WERE NOT MADE TO BE 'ONE-DAY' OR SUNDAY CHRISTIANS. 
    It's all or nothing.

His call is not to comparison or measurement to others, instead, He calls us to come and die.

COME AND DIE.  LITERALLY.

Luke 9:23-24 reads;

"And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."

It's easy to read over those verses and not really experience the full weight of them. Taking up your cross can and WILL bring pain. It is hard to daily take up one's cross. But God never said that following Him was easy. Actually we see all over scripture that Jesus warns against it, unless you are willing to give up everything. When you accept the invitation to follow Jesus, you aren't just making him top priority- you are making him the ONLY priority.

NO RESERVES. NO RETREAT.

Fandom is easy. It's easy to pretend and follow Christ when it is convenient...

Following Christ is hard.  Taking up your cross daily, is hard stuff. But God calls us to that. Jesus shows us how it can be done. So what are you waiting for?

I think it is long past time that Christians begin to follow hard after Jesus. I think it is long past time that we take up our cross daily and die to ourselves and our desires EVERY SINGLE DAY.

RADICAL CHRISTIANITY. I'M GAME. 

And please don't think that I think I have this topic mastered or that I think I know best. I simply desire to be one of Christ's followers who takes up her cross daily. And I would like for you to join me, if you're willing.