Follow me, these are words we use when we are inviting someone to come along with us. It may be to teach them a task, to show them where something is, or to experience something that is better understood by seeing than by telling. Yet, we must be careful when we ask someone to follow us. We must accept the responsibility that leading someone involves. If you are not leading someone in the right direction, it will be to your detriment and to theirs. When you ask someone to follow you, you are asking them to actively imitate you. It involves actively learning, applying, and then demonstrating what they have experienced. It is not just gaining information; following requires application.
In the Bible, Jesus instructs many to follow Him. The most important aspect of following is who or what you are following. If you are following someone who does not know where they are going, you will both end up at the wrong place. In Matthew 15:14, Jesus is teaching and makes a profound yet simple statement. The Pharisees were very traditional and led the people to follow their traditions. It was more about them and their pride than it was about pleasing God. Therefore, Jesus told the disciples to “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” If you are following someone, you’d better make sure they are leading you according to the Bible and not their own desires. Study the Bible for yourself and run references on what you are taught to see if it is correct. Do not pull verses out of context to support your beliefs, and do not follow those who do, or you will be the one in the ditch!
Following involves commitment. In following, we must make a choice. In Joshua 24:14-15, Joshua issues an ultimatum to the Israelites. He is forcing them to make a choice and own their choice. “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.” The Israelites had been wishy-washy in their faith. If you ask them if they were following God, they would have declared a resounding “Yes.” However, their actions had proven they were not. They were among God’s chosen people, but they were not in line with the leader. As a child, I remember trying to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I would stretch out my short legs as far as I could to fit inside his steps. When I saw it was difficult, I began to make my own prints. I may have been behind him, but I was forging my own path. I was going in the same direction, but I was veering off in the direction I thought would be best for me. It did not take long for me to realize I was watching my footsteps and making my own way. This is how many view the Bible. They start out following Jesus, but when it gets difficult, or they must choose Him over other things or people, they start adapting to their desires, not God’s. This is not what Jesus taught. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:18-20, He told them what to do, and He expected them to do it. They immediately left their occupation and loved ones and followed Jesus. There were no reservations, just simple obedience.
Matthew 4:18-20 “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”
Following involves sacrifice. Sacrificing is the act of giving up or losing something of value for the sake of something else. In Matthew 8:19-22, Jesus is seeking followers. Some were willing, but they had stipulations that limited their following. Jesus would not allow them to follow Him half-heartedly. It was all or nothing. He will be first in our lives, or He will not be in our lives. He makes this clear to the disciple who said he would follow, but needed to go take care of his family first. This may sound harsh to you, but in the original language, the Father was still very much alive. He was telling Jesus, when all my connections are gone, I’ll be back and follow you. He wanted to follow without any sacrifice. He wanted his relationship with Jesus to be on his terms, not God’s.
Matthew 8:19-22 “And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”
These biblical truths have not changed for us today. We may have altered them in our view. We may have convinced ourselves that we can have Jesus on one hand and the world in the other, but we would be wrong. The worst part about this type of “following” is that some believe they are okay when they are not. They will not hear “well done” if their lives have not been completely surrendered to God. In Luke 9:23, Jesus said to all of them, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
It is time to apply. Are you following Christ in every area of your life? Where are you struggling? What is more important to you than complete obedience to His word? Will you take a stand and let others know that church attendance, study of the word, praying, and witnessing are more important to you than anything else? Do not answer yes unless you are willing to prove it. Maybe your problem is that you do not love Jesus enough. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” The things you love the most are the things you are committed to, you sacrifice for them, and your love for them is evident to all who know you. What are who are you following?
