Thinking About His Call

I have been reflecting on what it means to be a follower of Jesus for a long time. Traveling with the disciples in the Gospels, listening to Paul’s guidance in his letters, reflecting on the truths found in the Scriptures. I’ve tried to put into my own words some of what I have come to see.* Not inspired, not final, not complete . . . but some thoughts about Jesus’ call and what it means.

In Mark 3:13 we read that “Jesus called those he himself wanted and they came to him.” Ultimately, for them (and for us) this may just mean . . .

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus.

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on his presence, depend on the Spirit, walk in grace, forge ahead in prayer, labor in his power, listen for his voice.

My face is set, my gait is firm, my goal is abundant life, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission clear, my destination certain.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the present of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus. He has captured my heart with his love, my mind with his truth, my strength with his grace, and my will with his power. I am irrevocably given over to a life I cannot live, radically and wholly dependent on him to carry me, by his Spirit, beyond myself to become all that he intends for me to be.

I must go until he comes, gives as he has given, love as I have been loved, share all I know, and labor until he tells me to stop. And when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me.

* Today (02/13/2012), during lunch, a good friend called my attention to something about this post. He graciously pointed out that the words are not original with me. I must confess, that came as something of a surprise to me. I have had a card with these words—or variations on these words—on my desk for over a decade. I have rewritten them as the card became worn. I have tweaked them from time to time to better fit my thinking about my journey with Jesus. I know many of them by heart. And I inadvertently came to think of these words as my own. In no way do I want to take credit for what is not mine and so would like to affirm that these thoughts must have had their impetus in the words of veteran African missionary, Louise Robinson Chapman who lived in the mid-1900’s, although the source, even to this day, escapes me. My sincere apologies to the readers for my unintentional misrepresentation. (You can find what may be the original wording here: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/commit.htm .)