John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Have you ever seen Vanessa Horabuena's art? This is one of her original pieces of art. I love this piece of art for many reasons. The title is "My sheep listen to my voice." I could do an entire blog on that topic alone, because in order to mature as Christians we should know the leading and the voice of the Holy Spirit. But that's not what I want to talk about in this blog.
Do you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed with what it means to be a Christian? Going to church, worship, understanding Bible, knowing how to pray, doing enough devotions, making time for Bible study, getting healthy fellowship, using your gifts, producing a crop, evangelizing, deciding what is ok to watch on tv, listen to on the radio, which holidays are ok to celebrate, knowing how and when to take a stand in culture to name a few things that can be overwhelming when trying to "be a good Christian."
As if the list above isn't enough, if you are brave (or crazy, lol) you can venture onto the interwebs and find an army of "Bible Teachers/Preachers" that all have a different take on how you should live your life. With social media, news media, internet preachers, religious leaders, etc. it can all be overwhelming. That's not to mention current events and how they are unfolding. What do we even do with all of this? The answer is simpler than you might think and the key is in this picture.
Our primary goal as Christians is to wake up each day and simply learn to follow Jesus. During the three years of His ministry He was often surround by large crowds that were sick and dyeing, vying for His help and healing. He was pulled in many directions, sometimes by His disciples, religious leaders, needy people, people trying to kill Him, to name a few examples. Yet through all of this we see an example of a relaxed Jesus. He simply went where His Father led Him. He tells us this in John 14:10-11:
" 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves."
In other words, Jesus was simply following the Father, He set the ultimate example for us! This is what Paul teaches us in Romans 8, about being led by the Holy Spirit. Our lives are to be just like this picture. We keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him in every situation. When we learn to follow the Lord's leading in every moment, then we begin to understand what Jesus was teaching us in John 15:4, " Remain in me, as I also remain in you." I once heard a Pastor teaching this section say: "May we lose sight of where He begins and we end." *peaceful sigh*
I love this piece of art because it grounds me and reminds me, I am on a journey of learning to follow Him always in every situation. It's really that simple.
John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Until next time,
~tiana
Big thanks to Vanessa Horabuena for allowing me to use this image. Please support her ministry by purchasing her art at www.vanessahorabuena.com
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