How does one become a “follower of God”? Is it like a professional football team where you must be drafted, compete to qualify, and then compete to stay on the team? Is it more like a country club set where the embers choose you, or you become a member because your family is a member? Is it like some Christian church memberships, where you must publicly commit to a specific set of theological points before you are “saved”? Is there a code one must crack before becoming a member of God’s club? Does one need to dress, act, do, or know anything to qualify?
Any answer to the questions above accepts the premise that we are “God followers”. I would like to suggest several points that lead to something radically different.
1. God chose us before we knew He even existed.
2. The decision to be separate from God was one we made a long, long time ago.
3. God took care of every requirement and qualification necessary to restore the relationship between Himself and every human being (Calvary).
4. By taking care of our qualifications, God dressed us is a secret white robe underneath our visible exterior and prepared a room for himself in our heart.
5. God desire to restore the relationship between us is very intense. It is difficult to avoid God over the course of a lifetime. If in doubt look around!
6. God continues to pursue each person even if we say “no” to the idea of walking in faith with Him on more than one occasion.
7. Saying yes to God allows God to take off our dirty clothes, revealing a brilliant white robe of grace, acceptance, mercy, and love. Saying yes gives God the key to the room He prepared for himself in our heart and begins an amazing journey of faith.
“You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.” (Romans 2.29)
