Following Christ!

I have just been thinking about what it means to follow Jesus and I have read this on another blog.
If the ultimate, the hardest, cannot be asked of me; if my fellows hesitate to ask it and turn to someone else, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the Cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.-Amy Carmichael, "Calvary Love," from If

Jesus has said of His followers,
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it. Matthew 10:37-39 NASB

I know, the things of this world are calling, and they are appealing, but Jesus said to Satan in the wilderness:
Begone satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only. Matthew 4:10 NASB

Are we willing to give up eternity in Heaven with God our Father for the fleeting pleasures of this world or are we willing to step out of our comfort zone to be obedient and go wherever God may call to serve Him?

What difference has our salvation had on our lives if we can't say with the Apostle Paul:
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ..... Phillipians 3:8 NASB

Jesus said to the rich man:
One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow me. Mark 10:21 NASB

We are slaves, but what are we slaves to Jesus or this world?

What is it that Jesus has told us to do?
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness;

We are to dedicate our lives to Him. Wether we are in a foreign land or at home as a missionary, a Pastor, an evangelist, a construction worker, business owner, etc. We are to be about the Kingdom work not our own. How often are we looking or accepting a job because it will provide an income or increase our income for the provisions of our family? Our first and foremost reason for looking or accepting a job is to answer the questions; Is God at work here? And is He inviting me to join Him in His work here? If this is not the case then continue looking and waiting on Him. We should never take a position because of the money. I say this because of the rest of this verse which says:
and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NASB

We belong to God. We are His children. He will provide what we need. This should never be our focus. We are not the masters of our destiny God is. We can not change this no matter how hard we try. We stand at odds with God when we do this. And God says:
I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me.

God wants us completely. Not just on Sunday. He wants us to dedicate our lives to the Kingdom work. We tend to want to lean on everybody else for that which God wants to do for us. We look to the government to meet our needs. We look to our employer for the security. But God says:
For My people have committed 2 evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13 NASB

So, the question is; Are we going to follow God? Or, are we going to continue to be deceived by Satan?


Gary