Has following Jesus really changed you?

I’ll keep this short.

Yesterday I heard a strong sermon from my friend and fellow pastor, Dennis Nealy.

Reflecting on the Apostle Paul’s life, Pastor Dennis said something powerful: The more closely we follow Jesus, the more our lives should look like his.

There’s been something bothering me lately.

I love being a pastor. I love getting to watch and shepherd the lives of so many people who are a part of Cornerstone. I think we are a church full of people who love Jesus and sincerely love each other.

That in itself is a work of grace.

But I often worry that too many Christians, at Cornerstone and beyond, are content to let the Holy Spirit do ALL the work in our lives and in our churches. We like it that way. Because it doesn’t require much from us.

Show up. Sing. Pray. Hear the Word. Serve a little here and there.

There’s a benefit to that. Going to the gym once a week is better than going once a year. But Jesus wants more than that for you. And Jesus expects more than that from you.

Remember his words in Luke 9:23:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Most Christians miss out on the life-changing benefit of walking with Jesus daily. Spending serious time with Jesus through personal prayer and Bible-reading–on top of being engaged in the life of the local church–changes you. From the inside out, it makes you a different kind of person. And that change shows up in all kinds of ways.

It changes the way you do your job. It changes the way you treat your spouse. It changes the way you handle your money. It changes the way you spend your time. It changes the way you talk about people. It changes your attitude. It changes your anxiety. It changes your anger.

Walking with Jesus changes you. Because Jesus makes you more like him.

I promised to keep it short. So here’s the question:

Can you think of a way that Jesus is changing you?

Is there an area in your life where you sense Jesus working to make you more like him?

I’m not here to beat you up or judge you. But if you’re struggling to identify a way Jesus is working ON you, it is probably a sign you’re not walking closely enough WITH him.

That’s something you can change today. Jesus is there. He always does his part. The biggest thing you’re missing is your own effort.

As the Apostle Paul exhorted us in Philippians 2:12-13, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”