You said yes to following Jesus. We’re so proud of you! Now what’s next? 

Following Jesus is a process of taking next steps, one day at a time. It means becoming like Jesus. When Jesus summed up all of the commandments in the Bible, He asked us to love God with all we are and to love our neighbours as ourselves. 

Becoming more like Jesus is a process. God does the heavy lifting, but we can partner with Him in the work He’s doing.

First, you start somewhere. You say yes to a new way of life. As a learner, you gain knowledge, develop relationships, practice skills, and overcome setbacks. Learners also make mistakes and fall short, but they keep moving forward.

The word Jesus used for a learner is “disciple.” When we said yes to Jesus, we said yes to a lifelong process of becoming His disciples. Becoming the kind of person who loves God and loves your neighbours is a process that will take your whole life.

Every disciple experiences setbacks and failures. If you’re like the rest of us, you may have experienced some of those setbacks already. You might have returned to a bad habit, used hurtful words, or failed in the past week.

When we fall short, we don’t need to hide or run from God or others. God is love, so He won’t abandon you when life gets hard or when you make a mistake. His forgiving kindness is always available to help you continue becoming more like Jesus. Seek progress, not perfection.

We don’t know the challenges you’ve had to overcome in the past few weeks, but we are confident that God has started a good work in you, and He will continue His work in you for the rest of your life!