Articles
Follow Me!
Follow Me!
God calls people to bravely follow. He called Abraham and said, “go forth from your country ... to the land which I will show you, and I will make you a great nation...” (Genesis 12:1). And Abraham “went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8). What trust! Bible characters from Moses to Rebekah to Gideon to Paul received a similar call to follow God’s lead.
Jesus calls every person today. “He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny Himself, and take up His cross daily, and follow Me’” (Luke 9:23). What does it mean to follow?
Following Jesus means trusting Jesus to lead.
We must learn to trust Jesus Christ if we are to follow Him. The life of a Christian is full of great blessings! But we must also fully count the cost, realizing that there also will be challenges and dangers and demands.
Jesus said in John 10:4, the shepherd “goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Jesus does not prod from the back; He guides from the front. He understands what He is doing, and He sees the outcome. He is the Good Shepherd who can provide everything we need on the journey. Trust Him!
Following Jesus means leaving other things behind. The disciples were all quite busy when Jesus called them to follow.
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them,
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him (Matt. 4:18-22).
Now, we are not to suppose that Jesus hypnotized the disciples to do something irrational. This was not the first time these men had encountered Jesus. They already knew Him, and His message, and had seen His miracles. Many of them were already disciples of John the Baptist. Thus, when the time came for Jesus to intensify His ministry, He called His disciples to greater responsibility, and they were ready to make the decision to set aside their earthy goals for the privilege of following Jesus.
But here’s the key point: They left their nets. Following Jesus always means following other things a little (or a lot) less. Other pursuits—work, sports, exercise, hobbies, retirement goals, vacation dreams—all become side quests to be taken only insofar as they serve the main plot of serving the Lord. Jesus’ challenge to the rich young ruler was, “sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22). Anything that distracts from service must be reevaluated. As for sinful pursuits ... well, they must be quickly abandoned.
Following Jesus means being like Him.
The word disciple means “one who follows another’s teaching.” Following in His footsteps means following in His behavior, words, and values. Not just a pupil, but an adherent. One who imitates the teacher. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.”
One who claims to be a follower of Jesus must demonstrate Christlikeness by his behavior. Can one claim to be a follower of Jesus and behave immorally? No. Can one claim to be a follower of Jesus and cheat on his spouse? No. Can one claim to be a follower of Jesus and talk like a person of the world? No. A follower of Jesus is identified by his decisions and actions.
Sharing His values will often mean sharing His treatment. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you... If they persecuted Me, they would also persecute you” (John 15:18-20).
Following Jesus means ending up where He is.
Jesus said, in John 10:27-30,
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
Jesus promises that “you who have followed Me” will receive eternal life (Matthew 19:27-30). He has been raised to the right hand of God, and all who follow Him look forward to reigning with Him (Revelation 5:10, 2 Timothy 2:12, Matthew 5:5).
–John Guzzetta
