Following Jesus is not about the verses
On finding our story within God's story
Following Jesus is less about a verse by verse detailed map that we've grown accustomed to, and more about following an overarching ethos, style, mood, and way of following Jesus that pays attention to the verses, but ultimately seeks the heart of Jesus within them.
For longer than I care to admit, my way of following Jesus looked like what Leonard Sweet referred to as versitis. That is, the incessant need to require a chapter and verse for every belief, every idea, and every behaviour. In many respects, I approached scripture with a need to find certainty in everything. "Show me a chapter and verse for that idea and I'll investigate it more" was the way I handled the Bible.
As I'm getting older the need to feed my left-brain need for certainty in everything is not as hungry as it used to be. It isn't that paying careful attention to chapter and verse has suddenly become unimportant, but that my way of following Jesus has changed from a verse by verse roadmap, to a more simplified journey of just following after him - listening, watching, doing.
If my identity is that of a Christ-follower, I need to center my life on being and doing just that.
I need to daily immerse myself in His story. I need to place myself within His story as a character in the unfolding drama that has Him as its central character.
I need to journey with Jesus in His story...walking, listening, responding, praying. And, to maintain this posture of walking until Jesus turns to me and says, "what do you have to say about this?" - "what do you think?"
Versitis has of a way of de-personalizing the story; of turning this beautiful, life-changing, God-story into little more than a scientific experiment. An experiment where the one with the most chapters and verses to back up a claim wins!
It also has a way of making the story into something mechanical, almost robot-like, rather than walking with Jesus, which is more free-flowing and natural.
I'm learning that there's so much more to the story than following Jesus in a robotic-kind-of-way.
Why?
Because it's a story. A grand narrative. God's redemptive narrative. A journeying with God, in Christ, by the Spirit.
It's the story within which our story is found - as individuals, within community, in the world.
Our story is found within God's story - as individuals, within community, in the world. Click To TweetI'm learning to let go of versitis - to embrace God's story and allow His story to embrace me. And, it's proving to be the most liberating thing in the world. I love it.
So, join me in this journey and I believe you'll begin to discover many of the same things.
Following Jesus is less about a verse by verse detailed map that we've grown accustomed to, and more about following an overarching ethos, style, mood, and way of following Jesus that pays attention to the verses, but ultimately seeks the heart of Jesus within them.
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"Follow me as I follow Christ" - The Apostle Paul
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