Jesus Only: Part OneSample

Week 1, Day 4 - Wednesday

Jesus' Authority Is My Guide

It was probably sometime in the late '90s that my roommates and I discovered the beauty (and danger) of 24-hour Sheetz food. We’d be sitting around the apartment at 1 am on a Friday night, and inevitably one of us would look around and say, “Wanna go to Sheetz?” So, on a whim, we’d all pile in a car and make a run for some “death dogs;” 2 hot dogs with all the toppings for $2. (We called them that because of how they made us feel the next day.) 

I also remember what my wife and I went through in buying our first house. It was a big process. Finding a realtor, deciding on a general area to begin shopping, looking at house after house (after house), and through that process, discovering exactly what we were looking for. And the loan! We had to decide what our budget was, bid on the house, and eventually, months later, sign our names probably 20 different times before we were finally, officially homeowners.

Recently, we thought about “Jesus' authority” in our lives and why Jesus deserves to be the authority of our faith. But if we’re honest with ourselves, that’s a pretty big ask. Sure, we feel comfortable giving Jesus authority over some of our lives. But all of our lives?

Even when Jesus was on the earth, there were many people who had a hard time saying “yes!” to Jesus. The most famous example of this was probably what we call The Story of Jesus and The Rich Young Ruler. The rich young ruler wanted to follow Jesus, but when Jesus told him what it would cost, the young man changed his decision and left. In another passage about following Jesus, he tells the crowd, “But don’t begin [to follow me] until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’” (Luke 14:28-30 NLT)

Following Jesus is a big decision. Giving over authority of your life to Jesus is a big decision. It’s not a “sitting around at 1 am trying to decide whether you want to go to Sheetz” kind of decision. It’s an “I have to sign my name 20 times” kind of decision. 

But here’s the good news: that decision to follow Jesus is hard, and expensive, but it bears fruit. As you read this week’s Colossians passage again today, look for the fruit that the Colossians’ faith produced. We’ll be talking more about that tomorrow.

Reflection Questions:

In what dimension or area of your life do you struggle with giving Jesus authority? 

When do you struggle to live by the principles that Jesus lived?

What fears do you have in “following Jesus,” or giving Jesus total authority in your life?