Jesus only

The Word for today:
2 Samuel 19:40 -- 20:26

mark this: 2 Samuel 20:11--
"...whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!"

You follow Jesus, but do you follow Jesus only?--
When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only (1).

People have a tendency to link Jesus with political or social issues. Beware of linking Jesus with anything or anybody. This bad linkage might take the following forms:

"Real Christians are Republicans. Jesus would have been a Republican."
"Speaking in tongues is the true evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit."
"(My denomination) teaches the truest doctrine."
"Any disciple of Jesus must reject evolution."
"How can you drive a Hummer and call yourself a real Christian?--they are environmentally irresponsible."
"Jesus hates rap and rock 'n roll."
"No real Christian would ever smoke, drink, go to movies, hunt deer, wear make-up, etc., etc."

Whether the statements above are true or not is beside the point. The question is, do you link Jesus to anything other than Himself?

Don't fall for nations or denominations; preachers or teachers; bloggers or loggers; trends or friends; schools or rules; fashions or passions; FOX or CNN; Republicans or Democrats; Limbaugh or Obama; Protestants or Catholics; labor or management; capitalists or socialists...

Read your Bible. It is the only way to get to know Jesus. But even the life-long Bible student is often surprised by something Jesus does or says in scripture. We learn never to presume what Jesus would think on any issue unless it is explicitly stated in scripture.

"What would Jesus do?" I'm not always sure. But God has sent his Holy Spirit to guide us in paths of righteousness for His name's sake (2)--the very same Spirit who guided Jesus out of Nazareth into the desert, through Cana to Capernaum, through Samaria to Judea, to Jerusalem, to Gethsemane, to Golgotha, to glory.

Along that pathway we will get to know the real, the only, Jesus.

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(1) Matthew 17:8; (2) Psalm 23:3