While some see Christianity as a long condemning list of "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots," the truth is that following Christ isn't based on a long set of rules. Rather, it's based on the character and person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone.
Do you want to follow Christ and be like Him in character?
Then let's simplify things and see the other side of the coin: what Christ-followers ought not to be.
1. Christ-followers aren't people-pleasers
Are you often affected by what others say or think about you? Then you've got to stop that and let God's opinion of you be the only opinion that matters. Why?
Jesus Christ never let Himself be swayed and carried by another person's opinion, even if that person has a high position of influence and power during the time of His earthly ministry. He wasn't swayed by the Jews, or Pilate, or by Caiaphas the high priest, and not even by the Roman soldiers who were spitting on Him and beating Him up (see Mark 5:36).
2. Christ-followers aren't in search for personal gain
The Lord Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26)
Christ-followers follow Christ, not their own desires. If we want to be a people holy and set apart for Christ and Christ alone, then we'll have to do without ourselves, too.
"But what about my dreams?" you might say. But read this: Jesus said in John 6:38, "For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will." If the Lord Himself did not do as He pleased, who are we to say that we will do what we want and still be His followers?
3. Christ-followers aren't focused on the earthly life
No, this doesn't mean living on the moon or on Mars. Rather, genuine Christ-followers know and live by the truth that we aren't of this world, just as Christ isn't of this world (see John17:16).
Because of this, our pursuits aren't rooted in worldliness. We think about and set our eyes on things above, where Christ is seated (Colossians 3:1-4). We think about the life that is coming, not the life that we already have. We think about the eternal, not the temporal. "So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Because of these, we set aside meaningless pursuits – those that aren't bringing us to Christ-likeness. We set aside our fleshly desires, and put on Christ. We cast aside our desires for ourselves, and begin to live for Christ.
