The more we are immersed in the world, the harder it can be to see the contrast between the world’s view of life and that of Jesus Christ. We hear popular sayings like “Follow your heart,” “Believe in yourself,” “Discover yourself,” or “Be true to yourself.” These kinds of statements are everywhere, from t-shirts to social media, to greeting cards, Disney movies, and engraved on cups and mugs.
On the surface, they seem fairly innocent. But when compared to the teachings of Jesus, their error comes into sharper focus. Freddie Klein, admissions director for Southeast, shared a post that perfectly captures this concept. Here it is with a few minor edits:
World: Follow your heart.
Jesus: Follow me. (Matt 4:19)
World: Believe in yourself.
Jesus: Believe in me. (John 14:1)
World: Discover yourself.
Jesus: Deny yourself. (Matt 16:24)
World: Be true to yourself.
Jesus: Be faithful to me. (Acts 11:23)
The philosophies of the world are foolish compared to the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:20). When placed alongside the teachings of Jesus, we learn just how selfish this world wants us to be. It is all about us, all about living our best life, all about personalization, and all about our happiness. Yet Christ calls us to live differently. He calls us to live a life that is focused on Him rather than ourselves.
That means we can’t just follow our heart and seek to fulfill all of our fleshly desires. That means we can’t focus our life on “finding ourselves” except by finding ourselves in Christ. We should be people of integrity and be honest with ourselves, yet be faithful to Christ unto death.
Following Christ means rejecting the philosophies of this world and following the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We need to resist the influences of worldliness and not allow ourselves to be captivated by human philosophies, but rather embrace the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ.