Follow

Sometimes you may feel like God is asking things of you that are too hard, things that are too heavy to bear, or things that are too big to do. Yet these things are part of a life of dedication. Today, you’ll read what Jesus says about following Him, right through those difficult things.

You’re probably familiar with the feeling when something comes your way that makes you say, “No God, not that!” One of the most uncomfortable things God asked of me was to sign up for a sponsor marathon in Kenya. I love running, and I also love traveling. But going to places of extreme poverty is a different story. Especially the unimaginably large slum of Nairobi, which you can only visit with a police escort, terrified me. I shuddered at the very idea: open sewers, rats, stinking huts, poverty at its worst. Still, I went. God urged me: “Jump into the mess! Get your feet dirty, descend and see where I live.” Because God also lives in the slums! I visited beautiful people, saw special Compassion projects, and heard moving stories of men and women who had been given hope again through the Word of God.

Getting into action for God takes courage and faith. You have to be willing to get your feet dirty, and experience suffering. Jesus Himself says it all in Matthew 16:24-25: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (NIV).

God does not promise an easy road when you follow Him, but He does lead the way. He will lead you and walk with you. Are you willing to get your feet dirty?