Upheld In Following

“Follow Me.”

What strange words. These days we all want to be leaders. I think because we feel we are diminished somehow if we are followers.

“Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” This was addressed to commercial fisherman along the shores of the Sea of Galilee when Jesus walked by. Did they stare after Him like He was crazy? They weren’t Torah students waiting for a Rabbi to walk by, for heavens’ sake – they were plain Joes who made a living at fishing.

Jesus walked by a hated tax man, “follow Me,” he invited. The tax man left his money to follow. Gasp! Choke! What?? He had built up an amazing portfolio. It would allow him to live the high life and have a great retirement fund. And he left it? What was he thinking?

Two brothers, mending their fishing nets with their father, jumped up when Jesus came by and said, “follow Me”. Another invitation was issued to a young man sitting under a tree. “I see no deceit in you,” Jesus said to him, “come follow me”. And the young man did.

They all left everything to follow Jesus. This is astounding and I always wondered how they could do this. Could I just walk away from my family, job, home, whatever—to follow Jesus? How did they do this? Yet as I meditated more on this marvel, it occurred to me that we do follow Him. Missionaries are all over the world. They have left all to follow Him. That’s a no brainer.

But what about you and me?

Let me ask a question: are you the same person you were some years ago before Jesus came into your life?

If you are, then I question that you are following Him. But, if your life has changed, your ideas, morals, thoughts, ways of doing things, maybe even interests have changed, I suggest you have left everything to follow Him. Perhaps your life is completely changed since you encountered Jesus and He became not only Savior, but Lord and God. It is true for me. We have left all to follow Him.

Our aim in life is to please our God and give Him the glory in all things.

“I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless your Name forever and ever” Psalm 145:1.