Jeremy's Journal

March 3rd, 2011
|
by Tommy Clements
Comments(2)

JEREMY'S JOURNAL

 

Several weeks ago at the end of my message I told everyone that I wanted to read an excerpt from someone that was one of my favorite writers. Someone that I admired and looked up to, someone that was my hero and that someone is my son, Jeremy. The following is from the first entry from his journal has he was traveling overseas to share Christ for the next six months. I hope you enjoy...

 

"This experience thus far has given me a different perspective on the passage where Jesus boldly and somewhat offensively answers those who claim they will follow Him. (Luke 9:57). He calls three different people to follow Him and they all have different, seemingly legitimate things that they must do/finish before they can. With each one Jesus answers kinda harsh, even stating to allow the dead to bury their own dead and then finishes the passage by stating, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

I feel as though the heart of the matter here is not that these people had lame excuses (honestly they are more legitimate reasons than most modern-day Christians would come up with) nor that they were even bad Christians, but rather they did not sell out to Christ. I think something Christianity in America greatly lacks is this sold out attitude. Really counting the cost, and choosing Christ despite the Cost. I think we may have dumbed Christianity down to this idea that one can claim to follow Christ without actually following him. Any second grader could tell you that this cannot be. Claiming that you follow Christ and yet following something other than Christ is a crisis of terms. What Christianity has developed into is not a choice to follow Christ but rather a choice to follow Christianity. Therefore, we become convicted by evangelists and not the Holy Spirit. We are compelled by great Christian books and not the Holy Word of God. We lead our Churches towards the idea of “cool” Christianity and sometimes not towards God.

 We must claim back this rightful choice of ours to follow Christ, because truly without following Christ what is Christianity?"

 

Wow... I am still amazed and convicted... what about you?

 

Tommy

Comments(2) Login to Post Comments

Kevin Alford on Mar 18, 2011 6:48pm

In my opinion, that is, without qestion, good food for thought as far as what makes a Christian a Christian. A Christian is someone who follows Jesus Christ. Yet, I do like the way that Tommy put it anyone can be a Christian without truly following Christ, anyone can follow the religlion Christianity but not be a true follower a Christ. That is all the more reason why we Christians need to watch how we behave and react around those who are not.

Debbie McIntyre on Apr 23, 2011 7:45am

Jeremy is becoming one of my favorite writers too! I continue to pray for his ministry and safety wherever God leads him. Thank you for sharing his journal entries. What a blessing and often a conviction of my walk with Christ.