For fully devoted followers of Christ, the call to live in a manner that reflects Jesus can be challenging at times. We are told in Matthew, Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (16:24-25).

The only way to be successful in living a life worthy of being called a follower of Jesus is to trust Him to work in us and through us, by putting our ‘old self’ behind and choosing to live His way. How is this even possible, you may well ask?

There are several ways to do this, and one of the most helpful ways is to pray and ask for help and strength to live like Christ. Paul recorded in Philippians, “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:5-7).

Reading Scripture transports us to a place of comfort and healing and as we find our ‘voice’ in the Psalms, we can catch a glimpse of the Psalmists’ struggles. They, too, went through similar situations and offer us words of comfort, hope, and encouragement through their life experiences. It is heart-warming to know that we are not the only ones to go through life-struggles that are difficult, confusing, discouraging and yes, even painful. Simply put, we read how they, too, were discouraged and abandoned, while some feared for their lives; yet they turned their words of distress into praise for the One who comes to help. Always. Psalm 34:17says, “Yet when holy lovers of God cry out to him with all their hearts, the Lord will hear them and come to rescue them from all their troubles” (TPT).

Maybe some, or all, of the following words might describe your situation:

Hurt, helpless, burdened, hopeless, shameful, guilty, misunderstood, rejected, abandoned, lonely, confused, unjustifiably criticized ….

If this is you, then help is available. How? By choosing to live the ‘Jesus Way.’  Your old life can be exchanged for a newness that is hard to describe. It’s a freedom, a liberty, like free-falling into a cloud of love and grace.

Jesus made the ultimate exchange on the cross, took upon Himself our pain, sickness, guilt, and shame and reversed it for healing, forgiveness, love, grace, and mercy. He became the ultimate exchange. For you. For me. Will you choose to live the best way possible?

May I invite you to finish this time of reflection by listening to Phil Wickham’s worship song,

The Jesus Way? This song has impacted me, personally, very deeply and I pray that it will become a favourite of yours as well.