"Concluding Remarks from Part One and Two of Following Jesus for the Wrong Reasons" (John

I ask the question, "So why do you follow Christ?" A person may say, "I'm following Christ because I want Him to heal me of my sickness." That's a legitimate need and Christ can do that, but that should not be your reason to follow Christ! You may follow Christ because you want Him to bring harmony to your marriage. That's a legitimate need and Christ can bring that to pass, but that should not be your reason to follow Him. You may say, "I follow Christ because I have many deep emotional wounds from my past." That's a legitimate need and Christ can deal with that issue, but that should not be your reason to Follow Him. What happens if these things never come to pass? Your faith will be undermined and you'll have problems trusting God! The right reason to follow Christ is because of who He is: God's Anointed One (Messiah, Christ), the rightful King over every heart and life! Christ died for the sins of all who put their trust in Him. Christ arose from among the dead ones, and His return for Christ followers is imminent! He's coming back in power and majesty to reign over all there is. So whether you struggle with trials, tribulation, persecution, sickness and disease, poverty, or even death itself, there's good news for you. You can overwhelmingly conquer if your faith and trust is in Him as your Lord and Savior. Follow Christ because of who He is, not for the temporal benefits that He might provide you. Let me close with these encouraging words: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39). Notice the phrase, "the love of Christ" (V 35). Paul did not say, "our love for Christ," but His love for us! That's the reason to follow Christ! That love for us was demonstrated on a hill called Calvary! Your move! Be encouraged!