• Who (Or What) Are You Going To Follow?

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    There are a lot of things we say we follow in life. We follow procedures.

    We follow rules and regulations.

    We follow our dreams and our passions.

    We follow our leaders.

    We follow through on our intentions.

    We follow up on our responsibilities.

    Sometimes we even follow the crowd.

    Then after we encounter the God of Creation, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, we come to follow Jesus.

    Not Just An Item On A List


    But following Jesus isn't meant to be just one item on a list of things we follow. Following Jesus is supposed to be the entire list. Stop. That's all. That's it. Following Jesus changes who we are and what we do, so while in the process we might follow rules or leaders or fill in the blank, everything we do comes out of following Him first. We are given the call to follow in this radical way of life by Jesus himself in Matthew 16 where it reads:

    "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, 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? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.'" Matthew 16:24-27


    All or Nothing


    Following Jesus is a call that every believer must answer or, like Francis Chan points out in his book Crazy Love, one must examine if they really are a believer. He wrote,

    "[Jesus] wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a 'Christian' without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd."
    Well said.

    Following Jesus is our calling and following Jesus supersedes everything else. While following Jesus might mean that Jesus leads us to follow our passion or a rule or in some cases even the crowd, following Jesus means we only go where He leads and we only follow or follow through where is leading us. 

    Following Starts With The Word


    So how do we know where Jesus is leading us? It starts with opening the Bible and getting to know Him intimately in the pages. Following Jesus means following the instructions and directions He's already left us in the Word. Whether it's the call to love our enemies, forgive those who have wronged us, the instruction to repent of our sins or love others or give to those in need, Jesus has already told us in His Word a lot of the things He expects us to do as His followers. We don't need to pray about those specific instructions about our character and our behaviour that were given to all Christ-followers in the Word, we just need to follow it. Following Jesus starts with knowing His Word and then leads us to live out the Word every single moment of every single day.

    Because following Jesus doesn't happen in a contained part of our lives. Following Jesus spills over and changes how we think and act in every single part of our lives. From money to health, relationships, how we treat others, to how we react when we are mistreated, how we should spend our time, the list goes on and on and the Bible contains instructions on how Christ followers should react in those situations. It's not rocket science, it's a commitment to read the Word, know the Word and live the Word out.

    Seek Clear Direction


    It's also a commitment when we face a situation where we don't know how to react or the Word doesn't give clear direction, to not follow our own whims, but instead intentionally seek out an answer from Him. Pray. Ask Jesus to make the way clear to you. Listen when the Holy Spirit directs you. Or talk with other believers when the way is clouded and you are filled with uncertainty. Trust that when you seek direction from Jesus, He will provide it. He is our Shepherd and we are the sheep who follow His leading. As we are told in John 10:27, 

    "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
    Sometimes we have to dig deep to find direction, but that doesn't give us an excuse to follow any other path than the one He sets before us, even if we have to consult Him before every step we take. Like David Platt noted in his book Follow Me:

    "The goal of the disciple of Jesus, then, is not to answer the question, 'What is God's will for my life?' The goal, instead, is to walk in God's will on a moment-by-moment, day-by-day basis."

    Every Single Day, Every Step Of The Way


    Well said. In the chaos of life, we get to where God wants us by following His leading every single day, every step of the way. Following Jesus isn't the easy path, but it's the only path that leads to abundant life here and eternal life after we die. Closing with the words of Jesus in John chapter 10:

    "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10


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