Approaches to life.
Our culture is full of voices that will tell you the best ways to live life. Some will say that one must approach life in a way that puts wealth above all else. Others will say that having fun is the most important thing. Some preach that the one with the most toys wins. The concepts of wealth, materialism, and pleasure are what I call the "pillars of pursuit" purported and pushed by our culture. Society is telling us to pursue these things. It seems as if the concepts of family, generosity, self-sacrifice, and faith are being drowned out and replaced with these "pillars of pursuit". Jesus faced a similar culture in His day. He sought to bring an alternative approach to life that did not adopt the pursuit of wealth, materialism, and pleasure as the top priority. Although wealth, material items, and pleasure are not bad, the pursuit of those things above all else leads to poverty of the soul. Jesus came to show us an approach to life that makes the soul rich.
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10
What is "The Jesus Way"?
Instead of the pillars of pursuit that the world purports (wealth, materialism, pleasure), Jesus offers us new principles to adopt. Paul sums up the Jesus Way as the pursuit of faith, hope, and love. As we choose the Jesus Way, we are determining to pursue faith, hope, and love above all else. From this pursuit we discover fullness of life.
Faith
To pursue faith means to obey the teachings of Christ. Faith is not a mere belief in something, it is action that qualifies a belief. If I have faith in Jesus, it follows that if that faith in genuine, I will obey what He says. Matthew 5 is a great place to start if you want a refresher on what it looks like to obey the ways of life that Jesus commands. The good news is that the ways of life Jesus teaches are really really really good for us.
Hope
To pursue hope means to continually have confidence that living the Jesus Way indeed results in blessing here and in eternity. There will be times when you may want to give up living a faithful lifestyle, but hope is the buoy that keeps you afloat. Hope reminds you that living the Jesus Way is worth it. Hope declares that no matter what you may be going through, God is with you and has a place in Heaven for you. Hope is the fuel that keeps us moving forward in our faith journey.
Love
To pursue love is to be intent on bringing benefit to those around you. Pursuing love means working in order to make the lives of those around you better. The pursuit of love is synonymous with a selfless life.
Why should I choose "The Jesus Way"?
It is good for you. It is good for others. It glorifies God. The more we choose the Jesus Way, the more fulfilled we will be. Others will be benefited by the love we bring to them. The name of Jesus will be glorified and praised.
Our culture is full of voices that will tell you the best ways to live life. Some will say that one must approach life in a way that puts wealth above all else. Others will say that having fun is the most important thing. Some preach that the one with the most toys wins. The concepts of wealth, materialism, and pleasure are what I call the "pillars of pursuit" purported and pushed by our culture. Society is telling us to pursue these things. It seems as if the concepts of family, generosity, self-sacrifice, and faith are being drowned out and replaced with these "pillars of pursuit". Jesus faced a similar culture in His day. He sought to bring an alternative approach to life that did not adopt the pursuit of wealth, materialism, and pleasure as the top priority. Although wealth, material items, and pleasure are not bad, the pursuit of those things above all else leads to poverty of the soul. Jesus came to show us an approach to life that makes the soul rich.
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10
What is "The Jesus Way"?
Instead of the pillars of pursuit that the world purports (wealth, materialism, pleasure), Jesus offers us new principles to adopt. Paul sums up the Jesus Way as the pursuit of faith, hope, and love. As we choose the Jesus Way, we are determining to pursue faith, hope, and love above all else. From this pursuit we discover fullness of life.
Faith
To pursue faith means to obey the teachings of Christ. Faith is not a mere belief in something, it is action that qualifies a belief. If I have faith in Jesus, it follows that if that faith in genuine, I will obey what He says. Matthew 5 is a great place to start if you want a refresher on what it looks like to obey the ways of life that Jesus commands. The good news is that the ways of life Jesus teaches are really really really good for us.
Hope
To pursue hope means to continually have confidence that living the Jesus Way indeed results in blessing here and in eternity. There will be times when you may want to give up living a faithful lifestyle, but hope is the buoy that keeps you afloat. Hope reminds you that living the Jesus Way is worth it. Hope declares that no matter what you may be going through, God is with you and has a place in Heaven for you. Hope is the fuel that keeps us moving forward in our faith journey.
Love
To pursue love is to be intent on bringing benefit to those around you. Pursuing love means working in order to make the lives of those around you better. The pursuit of love is synonymous with a selfless life.
Why should I choose "The Jesus Way"?
It is good for you. It is good for others. It glorifies God. The more we choose the Jesus Way, the more fulfilled we will be. Others will be benefited by the love we bring to them. The name of Jesus will be glorified and praised.