Following Jesus Means Living Differently
Since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:16
A few weeks ago when I was at church camp with our youth group, the pastor made a statement during one of his evening messages that really stuck with me. He said:
If Jesus and I disagree, I am always wrong.
My first thought was, “Well duh. Of course Jesus is always right.” But then there was this little ping of conviction in my heart, and a second thought came to my mind, “Jesus may always be right, but I don’t always act like I believe that.”
As human beings, we all want to be right. It’s in our nature. I can pretty much guarantee that there’s not a single person on this planet who’s walking around thinking, “I just love when people prove me wrong! It feels so good!”
No one thinks that way.
We like to be right…all the time. And on top of that, we are also very good at justifying our actions and behaviors to convince ourselves we’re always right.
We think things like,
“I know I said something hurtful to that person, but they hurt me first. So they deserved it.”
“I know I lied to them, but the situation would have been so much worse if I had told them the truth.”
“I know I need to have a hard conversation with that person, but I really hate conflict and would rather just leave it be.”
“I know I shouldn’t gossip about that person behind their back, but I only told a couple of people. It’s not a big deal.”
“I know I probably shouldn’t wear that outfit, but it’s so cute and I feel great in it! So what if it’s a little revealing?”
I could keep going, but I think you get the idea.
We are pretty darn good at explaining away our actions and our decisions, reassuring ourselves that we are perfectly justified to do what we’re doing or that the choices we’re making aren’t really that big of a deal.
But friend, if our actions, words, behaviors, and choices are in direct contradiction with how God commands us to live in His Word, then it doesn’t matter how justified we think we are.
If Jesus and I disagree, I am always wrong.
Remember, Jesus called each of His followers to live holy lives. The word “holy” means “to be set apart.” To put it simply, it means to be different. And if we’re going to live holy lives, that means we should act, behave, talk, and make decisions differently than the world around us.
It means choosing to respond with grace, compassion, and understanding when someone hurts us, even though retaliating with a hurtful response might feel better in the moment.
It means choosing to tell the truth, even when it’s difficult,
It means choosing to lovingly confront someone and have a hard conversation, even if you hate conflict more than anything else in the world.
It means choosing to keep trusted information to yourself, even when it’s more fun to share the news with other people.
And it means choosing to wear outfits that honor Jesus, yourself, and others, even if all your friends aren’t dressing that way.
Jesus never promised us an easy life as His followers. But He did promise us an abundant life (John 10:10). And living an abundant life in Christ means aligning your heart with His. It requires us to live set apart and to make some decisions that other people might not understand or agree with.
But let me encourage you. Speaking from experience, when I’ve chosen to align my words, actions, behaviors, and decisions with God’s Word, I’ve never regretted it. Sure, it wasn’t always easy. And not everyone around me was always supportive or on board with what I was doing. But I had so much peace when I chose to live life Jesus’ way instead of my way.
So, what would it look like for you to live a holy life? Are there any changes you need to make to align your life more closely with God’s Word? Is there something you and Jesus have been disagreeing on, and you’re realizing now that you are in the wrong?
Take some time to think through these questions. As you do, ask the Holy Spirit to help you make any changes you need to make so that you can live the abundant life Jesus died to give you.