What to Expect on Your Journey with God – Part 2
When you began your journey with God, you didn’t know where it would take you. You are not alone! This happens to all of us.
When God called Abram to follow Him, God didn’t tell Abram where He would lead Him. Like you, Abram didn’t know where this journey would take him.
We are told in Hebrews that, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out without knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8 CEB).
The first two words of that verse tell us how Abram was able to do this: “By faith.”
Before we commit to something, we often want to know all of the details, especially if there is a great cost to it.
But that is not how it works on our individual journeys with God. He does not show us the details of our journeys up front. He requires that we trust Him, and He will not compromise on that. A journey with God is a journey of faith and trust in Him.
“for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]”—2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMP)
We may want to understand all of the details before we follow God, but His way is to follow Him first by faith, and He will show us the details later. Every disciple of Jesus Christ experiences this.
In Andrew’s first conversation with Jesus, he asked, “‘Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’” (John 1:38 ESV). In response, Jesus didn’t give him any details. Instead, He invited Andrew to experience it for himself, saying “Come and you will see.” (John 1:39 ESV).
Jesus calls us to follow Him without knowing the details of the journey that is ahead. He called Philip and Matthew with just two words: “Follow me.”
When God calls us to follow Him, He may not give us the details, but He gives us reason to hope for a better future. He promises to meet our needs and the longings that we have for a better life.
This is how He called Peter and Andrew. To them, He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19 ESV). He gave them hope for a better future, and yet he told them nothing about the journey ahead of them.
When God calls us, He expects us to follow Him wherever He leads us. In return, He will care for us better than we could take care of ourselves.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”—John 10:27 (ESV)
Our response is not to wait until we understand all of the details. Our response is simply to trust God and obey His leading. This was Abram’s response to God’s call.
“So Abram departed [in faithful obedience] as the Lord had directed him”—Genesis 12:4 (AMP)
“The Scripture says, ‘Abraham believed God. And that faith made him right with God.’”—Romans 4:3 (ICB)
All In
You can’t follow Jesus half-way. You are either in or you are out.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus expresses His disgust with lukewarm followers.
“I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust].”—Revelation 3:15-16 (AMP)
On the other hand, the Overcomers, who receive the highest rewards in Heaven, are described as “the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4 AMP).
When God calls you, He is not calling you to a part-time job. He is not calling you to make Him just another hobby or just another interest in your life. He is calling you to total commitment. Your life is not your own anymore.
“You do not belong to yourselves, because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.”—1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ISV)
Jesus is not a cruel master. In fact, He saves us from bondage to sin and the devil, who are cruel masters!
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”—John 10:10 (NLT)
But Jesus is not Santa Claus. He is God, and He requires total commitment from us. But that total commitment will save us from destruction and enable us to live the best lives possible!
“Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”—John 12:26 (NLT)
“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’”—Mark 8:34-37 (NKJV)
“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”—Matthew 10:38 (ESV)
Answering the call of God—following Jesus—requires sacrifice. It will cost you something, but it is worth the price!
A wealthy young man once approached Jesus and told him that he had kept all of God’s commandments since childhood. Although Jesus loved this young man and his dedication to God, he sensed that something was lacking in his commitment.
“Jesus looked at him carefully and loved him. He said, ‘You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.’”— Mark 10:21 (CEB)
Another young man expressed his willingness to follow Jesus. He only had one condition. His condition might not seem unreasonable to us, but Jesus denied the man’s request.
“Another of his disciples said, ‘Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.’ “But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.’”—Matt 8:21-22 (NLT)
Jesus required Peter to follow Him even after telling Peter that it would cost Him His life.
“The truth is, when you were young, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands, and someone else will tie your belt. They will lead you where you don’t want to go.” (Jesus said this to show how Peter would die to give glory to God.) Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”—John 21:18-19 (ERV)
God will never be satisfied with a half-hearted response to His call. He is ready and willing to give us the best lives that we could have on this earth, but He requires complete devotion from us. The very first of the Ten Commandments says, “You must have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 CEB).
Jesus confirmed this in the New Testament when He said, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 NLT).
Back: Answering the Call of God
