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And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

The call to follow Jesus is not simply one of intellectual ascent or philosophical agreement, but of action. Obviously you’ve got to believe in Jesus, but that belief, if it is true, will result in action. You cannot follow Jesus and not see any change in your life. To become a Christian is to die to yourself and live for Jesus, and this is a daily choice. You cannot simply punch your ticket and then put it in cruise control. Wake up every day and confirm your commitment to follow Jesus, not yourself. If you want to follow both Jesus and yourself, you’re going to be miserable… BUT, if you follow Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you can’t lose. Follow him!

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Jesus healed people all different ways, he touched them, he asked them to do things, or he’d simply say a word, he wasn’t even present sometimes! It’s important to remember that God give us results (in this case healing) but uses different means for different people. Don’t look to how God revealed his plan to someone else, be looking for what he wants to do with you. If Jesus had spit in your face, would you find that offensive? That’s how he was healing this man at the pool of Bethsaida. He also didn’t heal him all at once, it came in waves. Don’t be so impatient with God to demand he give you everything all at once, he’s good, trust him.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Very few people are “anti-Jesus.” Don’t take that to mean most people are “pro-Jesus,” they are not. The problem is, while most people think Jesus was a positive influence, he was a good teacher, he was a charismatic leader, they may even believe there was something supernatural about him… the majority have never made him their Lord. It matters where you stand with Jesus, salvation isn’t automatic. The question is this: “who do you say Jesus is?” Is he a good teacher who is interesting, or is he your Savior?

he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. …For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

We don’t live with a God who requires specific dietary laws or other pedantic restrictions on day-to-day living in order to follow Him. Being holy is belief in Jesus, it’s keeping yourself free from evil, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, stealing, lying… not petty things about what kind of food you eat or how it was prepared. Jesus is who makes us holy. You can’t be holy by “keeping kosher” without following Jesus, and if you’re following Jesus, your heart won’t produce a sinful lifestyle, follow Him, He’s worth it!