Articles
Who Do You Truly Follow?
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” No matter the season of life we find ourselves in as God’s children, we must always remind ourselves that God’s will is not for us to follow man but only Him. When Joshua was about to lead the army to take the city of Jericho in the land of Canaan, a man stood before him and he asked, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” The man replied to Joshua, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. now I have come” (Joshua 5:13-14). Therefore, the question is not if the Lord is on our side, but if we are on His.
The way we determine if we are on God’s side is if our thoughts and actions are like Jesus’ example. Philippians 2:1-5 reads, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” After reflecting, if a Christian’s thoughts and actions are not lovingly motivated, sympathetic, uplifting, and considerate toward others, then they must be adjusted because God’s standards are not being met.
One of the hardest things to do in this life is to figure out how to get along with another person who acts and thinks differently than you do. Thus, Philippians 2:12 instructs us to, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Our behavior is solely dependent on God’s treatment of us and nothing else. In John 15:12 Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” God loves us so much that he sent His son Jesus to this Earth and set Him to die for our sake. Jesus loved us so greatly that He willingly went to the cross for us, and that is why His name has been highly exalted above every other (Phil. 2:9-11). As a result, do not become swept up by the world, but live to follow Christ and radiantly shine His loving light on others.
