On following Christ...

Today's sermon was on following Christ, centered on Mark 1:9-20 and Mark 2:13-17. In my notes I wrote the following, which is likely what the pastor said verbatim: "You can do a lot of 'following' Jesus without really following Him." He talked about following as being different from just hanging around at a distance. I think he gave an example of a child getting as far away as possible, yet still within eyesight, from the parent. In my own world, I think of my cat...she's frequently 'hanging around' me, often in the same room as me (granted...there aren't many room options :) ), but she's not constantly sidling up to me (although that is a common behavior, it's not constant). Another point the pastor made was that "if you haven't 'left', you haven't 'followed'." Mark 1:18 talks about Simon and Andrew immediately leaving their nets to follow...

Currently I'm reading the book Discipline: The glad surrender, by Elisabeth Elliot. The following is an excerpt from this book (p. 23):

Riding on a New York bus recently, I saw a woman reach over and slide open a small section of a window. The bus was very crowded, and I was glad for a little fresh air. The window was angrily slammed shut by another woman.
"It's not really cold out," said the first. "Can't we have a little air?"
"Not on my back you can't," came the reply, a perfectly natural one.
The disciple, however, lives by a different rule, a rule not natural to anyone who is a sinner. He will let himself be "lost." It is the great principle of the cross that he takes up--out of his own loss comes another's gain, out of his discomfort another's comfort. How easily we profess a willingness to follow, imagining some notable work for God, some great martyrdom--but forget the first condition the minute there is a little cold air on the back of the neck.

(Earlier she mentions the first condition as being that "he must leave self behind" (p.23)