I think the Bible tells us to live and love like Jesus, and the scriptures tell us a lot about how He lived and loved. You can see for yourself what the Bible says about loving our neighbors as ourselves, as servant leaders.
I'll tell you what living like Jesus is not about. It's not about health, wealth and prosperity; at least, not the way the prosperity Gospel preaches it. Those are things that God chooses to bless us with as He sees fit. There is a season for all of these things, but they are not meant to be our focus as followers of Christ. Whether you are blessed with them or not, you can still be fulfilled through discipleship.
We get into this salvation mentality. We get saved, and then we think we're done. I truly don't believe that's where it ends. I truly believe that salvation is just the beginning. It's the beginning of a life of discipleship. It's the beginning of living the Good News.
What is the Good News? I mean, what is the Jesus Gospel? The lifestyle of Jesus is a huge part of it! The life He lived, and taught us to live, is very good news! Salvation and justification are part of it. That's the beginning of our life in Jesus. But then, we're called to discipleship. We're called to live the Good News!
I've heard people say that Jesus didn't speak the Gospel. They say He couldn't have. They say the Gospel came after He died. That's a little mind-boggling to me. I mean, Jesus is the Gospel! Jesus is the Good News! He was It! Of course He preached the Gospel, because He was the Gospel! He did the Gospel!
When I hear people say that Jesus didn't speak the Gospel, it says to me that we're stuck in a salvation mentality. We focus everything on Jesus' death. We think we've completed our lives as Christians as soon as we acknowledge His death for our sins. But that's just where we start. What about Jesus' life? How can we ignore that, when the Bible contains a detailed account of it? It tells us what He did and said, and it contains the instructions He gave to everyone who wanted to be His disciples.
Sometimes I ask myself why I live the way I live, and that nails what I'm saying here. Why do I live the way I live? I don't ask myself why I am the way I am. I know the answer to that. I'm saved. I'm justified by Christ. That's who I am. But I don't assume that means I'm good. I'm not necessarily good. I'm not necessarily right. I'm not necessarily on the right path. I examine the way I live, because I want to be a disciple of Jesus.
Do I mess up? Yes. Am I always good? No. Am I always on the right path? No. But when I get off on the wrong path, I ask the Spirit to lead me back. And I believe that the Spirit does, because I want to be a disciple of Jesus. I want to be a servant leader like HIm. I want to be deeper. I want to go further. I want to always be on His path.
How do I know when I'm on His path? I'm there when I'm serving the way Jesus served. I'm fulfilled, happy, and full of joy.
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Jeremy Affeldt, pitcher for the three time Baseball World Champion San Francisco Giants and Major League pitcher for 14 years, recently retired. His streak of 22 consecutive scoreless appearances in the post season trails Mariano Rivera's mark by only one. He is an all-time leader in postseason ERA, with a minimum of 30 innings, with an 0.86.
Jeremy is a humanitarian, philanthropist, author, public speaker, and co-founder of Generation Alive. He works to end human trafficking, feed the hungry and end poverty. He is the author of To Stir A Movement, Life, Justice, and Major League Baseball. He is available for speaking engagements, appearances and interviews Follow him on twitter, Instagram and Facebook @JeremyAffeldt.