Go Bucks!

 

 

 

 

 

GO BUCKS!!!🏈🏈🏈But wait! There’s MORE!!!

Mary Ann Wray

Being former residents of Columbus, Ohio, Bobby and I love the Buckeye College Football Team! You could say we are fans. We turn on the TV on the weekends and watch them play while eating snacks, and discussing the different plays, fouls and referee calls. We shout whenever they make a touchdown and boo-hoo when the opposing team makes them fumble, intercepts the ball or worse yet makes a touchdown!

But then there are Buckeye fans who are much more than that. They go all out! You could say they are fanatics! They actually follow the Buckeye's out of state, traveling sometimes long distances, and paying their own expenses to go see their favorite team. These guys paint them selves with scarlet and gray face paint, wear Team Logo sweatshirts, real buckeye nut necklaces, and a host of other paraphernalia that suggests they are much more than fans-they’re true followers!

Having said all of this, I believe the reason why Jesus has more fans than followers is that to be a follower of Christ means much more than cheering others on in the cause or acknowledging He is the Savior of the World,  but it means we get in the game. Being a true follower interrupts our lifestyles in such a way that Jesus requires going out of your way just like these "over the top" Buckeye Fans do. He put it this way. "If any man would come after me, let Him deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me. If you save your life you'll lose it; if you lose your life for my sake, you'll find it." Matthew 16: 24-25. This is a call to die to self. He set the example for us. Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. The question is, will you and I lay down our lives for Him?

To be a fan of Christ suggests that you can just sit on the sidelines and say “Yes, I believe He’s great”, and admire the fact that he died on the cross for your sins and the sins of the world, but not practice what He says to do. To follow Jesus requires you to change some things or go some places you may not want to go. It requires commitment, faith and complete trust in the saving grace of God to get you through each day as a true follower. The saving grace He gives isn't just to get us into Heaven; His grace gives us the power to live for Him. Being a follower is not an easy road but it’s a rewarding and joyful one. It's a daily decision. There are untold rewards on the other side for being a follower not just a fan of Jesus; the greatest reward of course, is the promise of eternal life!

1 John 5: 1-3; 13

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This excerpt from a devotional would make a good Bible study and expresses what it means to be a follower of Christ…

“Paul wrote often about dying to sin (Romans 6:11), to the flesh (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24), and to self (Galatians 2:20). He lived what he preached and urged believers everywhere to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; 4:16). He was able to impact untold millions for the kingdom of God because he refused to be distracted or consumed by earthly interests. Not even death scared him, so he could not be threatened away from obeying Jesus (Philippians 1:20–23).”