Written by John Stott, a contemporary English preacher and evangelist. This is an excerpt from his book “Basic Christianity.”
At its simplest Christ’s call was “Follow me.” He asked men and women for their personal allegiance. He invited them to learn from him, to obey his words, and to identify themselves with his cause. Now there can be no following without a previous forsaking. To follow Christ is to renounce all lesser loyalties. In the days when he lived among men on earth, this meant a literal abandonment of home and work…Today, in principle, the call of the Lord Jesus has not changed. He still says “Follow me,” and adds, “whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” In practice, however, this does not mean for the majority of Christians a physical departure from their home or their job. It implies rather an inner surrender of both, and a refusal to allow either family or ambition to occupy the first place in our lives…Jesus does not call us to a sloppy half-heartedness, but to a vigorous, absolute commitment. He calls us to make him our Lord…To make Christ Lord is to bring every department of our public and private lives under his control. This includes our career. God has a purpose for every life. Our business is to discover it and do it…If Christ is our Lord, we must open our minds to the possibility of a change.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. [John 10:27]
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