Why Do You Follow Jesus?

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.'” John 6:26

Take a few moments and evaluate your prayer life over the past 6 months or so. Evaluate the content of your prayers. Whether you prayed once in 6 months, or 3 times a day. What do you pray? When you communicate with God, what do you talk with Him about?

Now. If someone were to ask you, “Why do you follow Jesus?” what would you say? Seriously. Consider it. Why do YOU follow Jesus?

Though I cannot be sure, I have a pretty good feeling the two are related. Why you follow Jesus and what you talk to Him about are linked.

You want good health.

You want to be kept safe.

You want your children not to grow up and  be crazy.

You want a good marriage.

You want your neighbors to know Jesus.

You want things at work to be enjoyable.

You want nice things.

You want the poor in Africa to have running water.

You want to have a good day.

You want your food to be blessed and used for nourishment.

All these are fine and good. I believe the Father wants us to ask for and go to Him for these things. But we have to be SUPER careful, don’t we? We must guard against the tendency of following Jesus because we want Jesus and following Jesus to use Him to get what we really want.

Following Jesus in order to get what we really want isn’t following Him at all. It’s using Him so He will give us what our god(s) really is/are.

Authentic followers don’t use Jesus. Authentic followers want Jesus.

The crowd in John 6 didn’t want Jesus. They wanted another meal. They wanted another miracle. They wanted to experience another show. Jesus wasn’t having it. What was best for them (and us) is not some thing Jesus could give them. What was best for them (and us) is Jesus Himself.

Evaluate your prayer life.

Why do YOU follow Jesus?