What will my life be like if i follow Jesus?

Jesus has not promised us an easy life or one that makes sense to us, He has promised that He will go through it with us and work through us, He has promised us great rewards for following Him, and we don’t have to end up in hell, which I was surely going to do. In Jesus I found so much more than just being saved from hell, I found love and acceptance, a clear conscience, joy and peace, I feel free to be who I really am, not who everyone always expects me to be.

Only Jesus knows what each persons life will be like, and when I first gave my life to Him I had several set ideas about what it would be like. My perception of Christians was just what I had seen in my experiences. It went something like this: Men are preachers in suits, or street ministers, women are Sunday school teachers, or mother Teresa’s. I had a lot of stereotypes. But just like different people are cut out to do different jobs in the workplace in the world, I found that the Lord has different gifts and callings for different people.

I found that in churches there is often a very gifted pastor, but I also noticed that the quiet often unnoticed person with the intercessory prayer ministry seemed to be more necessary. Their prayers were what the Lord was using to make the whole thing work at all. When the unnoticed person wasnt in church the sermon didnt always come across as well or seem as powerful or moving to those in the pews, often there were alot of distractions and talking in the back rows.

I noticed that some lives seem easy, and some pretty hard.  And that just because a persons life wasnt going absolutely wonderful doesn’t mean that He was not following Jesus or was not being blessed by Him.

In the bible there is a story of a man named Joseph. His mother had died giving birth to his little brother so he never got a lot of time being raised by her. God showed him a great promise for his future and he was greatly encouraged by that. He had eleven brothers, mostly by his dads other wife and they really didn’t like him. His dad loved him, but that only made his brothers more jealous of him.

His brothers hatred grew until they decided to kill him but at the urging of the older brother they just threw him into a well for awhile and then sold him to some slave traffickers instead. They put animal blood on his coat and took it back to their dad and told him a wild animal killed him. That dad was grieved deeply at the loss of his son and had no idea he was still alive for many many years.

So I wonder what Joseph was thinking about that promise God had showed him. Did he think that probably he had done something wrong and God had changed His mind? That he was being punished for his sins? Joseph’s life got better for awhile, a man that was captain of the guard of the palace of pharaoh bought him and he kept advancing in position as his servant.

Maybe he thought, the Lord has returned to me and it will be well now! Next the wife of his boss tried to sleep with him and when he said no, she falsely accused him of attempting to rape her and he was thrown in jail.

God made him able to endure prison. But was he thinking, what is going on?! Why is God against me even when I do what is right?!!

The chief butler of Pharoah was in prison part of that time with Joseph. Joseph helped him and showed him that Pharoah was going to restore him back to his butler job and said to him, would you remember to mention me when you get out and try to help get me out of jail also? Sure enough the butler got released and got his job back… but he forgot all about Joseph. Joseph sat in that prison for years. Not in comfort with a tv and gym.

In psalms it says:

He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:  Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that His word came: the word of the Lord tried him.  The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:    Psalms 105:17-21

He was freed eventually and was made a ruler in egypt and saved all of egypt during a famine and he also saved those 11 brothers that had started the whole thing. And his dad was beyond belief and filled with such joy “my son is alive, my son is alive!!” That Joseph was a man that God greatly loved, but his life was not fair or easy.

In the new testament book of acts we meet a man of tarsus named Saul that later became Paul. Jesus appeared to him and He was converted and saved. The Lord had a man pray for Paul and Jesus said to the man:

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel… Acts 9:15

That he would go before kings for Jesus sake! I wonder if he thought, “Wow lunch with the king and queen! I am so blessed!” He did go before kings and queens, but it was in chains as a prisoner.

You will suffer injustice in this world, it is not God forsaking you. You will suffer injustice in this life whether or not you give your life to Jesus. I would rather have Him going through it with me than my facing it alone. Stephen was a servant of Jesus in the book of acts and when things got really bad in life he was still ok because Jesus opened heaven so Stephen could see Him the whole way through it.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.    John 16:33

My life has not been easy and I have often thought that the Lord had forgotten about me or was against me when every time I got a promise and started walking in a blessed direction I had to then turn and go back through very trying times.

I read the book, “Hinds Feet in High Places” written by Hannah Hurnard. It is an allegory telling of the journey each of us must take before we can live in the high places with the Lord. I would really recommend this book. I thought it should maybe be called “hinds feet in low, low places” though, hehe.

I love the “water song” in the book about the water always joyfully going to the lowest place of all, and how Jesus said:

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.  But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.    Matt 23:10-12

My friend Zoanne Wilkie recently published her book, “Treasures From The Attic.” I was so glad she had finally written the book, for the Lord had used her so often to show me His deep unsurpassed and unending love and grace. When I was praying about her book, I thought that I would pray that she could go on t.v. again to publicize it, she had been a guest on a program before.

I wanted everyone to read the book, but I also knew that Zoanne and her husband Dave had gone through many, many hard times in this life. I wanted her to make lots of money so she could have a sweet and well cared for last part of her life. When I was praying that she would become rich, The Lord said to me, “I have provided for her needs exactly as I wanted to each and every day of her life, I will continue to do so.”

I thought about her life, she is soooo annointed by Jesus. She is a speaker at retreats often. Many  times she speaks to small gatherings, sometimes huge ones, but mostly to people in small areas. Sometimes the gatherings were of well adorned and beautiful people, but often people like me- nothing in the eyes of the world. People that were broken, common, definitely not stylish, outcasts of the world.

Everywhere I went to hear her speak there was a table of people in the room that I fit into perfectly. I found people sitting there that were just like me- afraid but hopeful. We were afraid to go out of our prison cells of guilt and shame even though the Saviour had flung the doors wide open at Calvary. I was always welcomed at the table I chose, and Zoanne always welcomed each person that came, always, regardless of their attire, attitude or social status. She has a wonderful gift of humor,  joy and so much love that we were able to open our hearts to Jesus and be filled with His love as well.

When I went to hear other popular and sophisticated preachers at other places, they always gave me a list of things to do. They were team captains encouraging us to fight harder, to give more, to do more.

When I went to hear Zoanne, she would look right into my eyes and say “You! It is you that He is passionately crazy about! To the depth of His being He is in love with you, can you hear Him calling you to go and dance with Him? Don’t be afraid, He didn’t mean the good looking practically perfect woman sitting next to you! He is calling you, just as you are.”

When I was sitting there thinking about her life the other day and how it wasn’t apparently Gods will that she become a mega preacher and live in a mansion somewhere, I began thinking about Jesus’ life. No mansions. No kings palace even though He is King of kings. Some of the people that were of good social stature did come to Him, but often secretly, lest their friends would think less of them.

He was never the keynote speaker for the assembly. He said He received not honour from men, but from His Heavenly Father. He said He must work the work that His Father worked, and went back to the dusty roads.

He knows what it is like to really, really need a friend and not be able to find a singe one. He knows what it is like to have God let Him suffer, when He could very well have stopped it all.

On the cross He said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He knows what it is like to feel forsaken. I think God must have said, “You know if there was any other way I would do it.” I cannot fathom what it was like for His Father to have to watch Jesus go through all that.

I always felt a great distance from Jesus until I met Zoanne Wilkie.

There is a scripture that says:

“The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.”    Romans 15:3

I have suffered many reproaches, deserved many. Once when I went to hear her speak, Zoanne spoke of not being welcomed into the “high society” of peoples clumps and cliques . She shared her hurt, but also the fact that no matter what those people said to her, her Heavenly Father bathed her again and again in His Holy Spirit and Love. When I heard her share that I could finally understand that Jesus was saying that to me, “no matter what people down here think of you, I love you immensely.”

If Zoanne hadn’t been treated like that and shared it, I would have never known. I would have never have allowed Jesus to fill me with His love, because I knew the snotty people were right- I didn’t deserve love or kindness. Zoanne treated me just like Jesus treats me, I don’t know how, I have sure given her opportunity to hate me. Zoanne suffered reproaches so that Jesus could use her to show me how to get through when I get reproached.

Instead of “Moses parting the sea” kind of miracle, Zoanne dared to be open and honest, and the sea that parted was the enormous gulf between Jesus and I every time people rejected me. She showed me the truth, none of us deserve His love, but its there for all of us.

She is maybe not a famous mega-speaker, but she allowed Jesus to take her down the dusty roads, anywhere He wanted to take her. She is a woman that allowed herself to be broken out of her love for Him. By this I could see the truth, that even I really can dare to go before the throne of the Creator of the Universe and be loved. Jesus has used her to open wide the veil, the veil to the Holy place where God abides and as she said ‘that so many have tried to sew shut again’.

Jesus left flaws in Zoanne, so that we remember that it is not her, but His Spirit in her speaking. Jesus Himself said, “now they know that whatsoever I have came from you, Father.” When I see Zoanne, I see her and I love her, but even more, I see Jesus so clearly. God did it again- by His Holy Spirit He sent Jesus into the world through her heart to show us the way to Himself. These last days He often does it by putting His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit into women and men like Zoanne, weak and foolish, but oh so willing and so full of the love of Jesus you cant miss it.

Sophisticated professional preachers (who may often have very large churches and fine cars and even airplanes) offer lots of doctrine and good advice, they tell us what we should be doing, and they promptly tell us when we are sinning.  They let us sit in air conditioned churches with large screen monitors, they have lots of programs to show us the way to perfection.

But Zoanne Wilkie introduced me to the Love of God. The apostle Paul said: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.”

Love is the very most important thing. I wrote a paraphrase of a part of the scriptures (1corinthians 13:4-8) and I think God is ok with me doing it:

Jesus suffereth long, and is kind; Jesus envieth not; Jesus vaunteth not Himself, is not puffed up,  Doth not behave Himself unseemly, seeketh not His own, He is not easily provoked, He thinketh no evil; He rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; He beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Jesus never fails.

This Love is the Love of God, the Love that has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.

That is what I hope for in my life, that by following Jesus wherever He leads me, I might end up in the ocean of Gods love.

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.    Romans 5:5

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.    Romans 8:29

additional suggested reading:

The love letter from your Father God found in the gospels of the Holy Bible, The Word of God, author. Holy Spirit, publisher

Hinds’ feet in High Places, by Hannah Hurnard, Tyndale House Publishers

Treasures From The Attic, by Zoanne Wilkie, New Sound Media publishers

Amazing Love, by Corrie Ten Boom, Christian Literature Crusade publishers

Oh, How He Loves You, by Corrie Ten Boom, Fleming H Revell publisher