So this deal about ‘following Him’ ...where Jesus kept mentioning it...It really is ‘a thing’; as in - He really meant it. We are supposed to be ‘following’ Him. For real. He came to seek and to save the ‘lost’ and when He found them/us...He told us: “Follow Me!”

From fishermen to tax collectors and even rich, young rulers...the command was clear: “Follow Me”. (Matt.4:19; 9:19; 19:21)

Someone might be quick to say that Jesus told that to those He was calling to be His ‘disciples’. ......and your point would be....?

Was that not the great commission for the church to go in to ‘all the world and make disciples’? (Matt. 28:19)

That is, for the most part the very meaning of the word ‘disciple’ – it means to be a ‘follower’, a student of. And back in that day, in order to be a student of this traveling ‘Rabbi’, you had to ‘follow’ Him. That has not changed.

You don’t find anywhere in scripture this suggestion that we were called to merely be ‘believers’ or ‘church members’ or ‘good ole’ boys’; He was pretty specific when He stated in more than one place:

“He who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matt. 10:38)

‘Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and ...follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24)

This almost sounds like a life-long commitment, does it not? I mean, can’t we just join a good church and ‘serve’ there regularly and continue on with our own lives and ‘just trust Jesus’?

How would you interpret John 12:26 where Jesus stated: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

You do realize there is absolutely nothing wrong with all of us pausing regularly and asking ourselves that very question: “Am I truly following Jesus?” (2 Cor. 13:5)

Which then brings up a very good question of: ‘How can I know...if I'm actually 'following' Him?’

I have a hunch that the majority of people today who profess to be ‘believers’ and yes, even ‘followers’ of Jesus have this mental check list they run down in order to assess their own walk. I bet it goes something like this: “I gave my heart to the Lord and such-n-such age. I am a faithful member of my church and attend regularly and am there every time the doors are open when possible. I tithe regularly and serve as a deacon, choir member, teacher, etc.’ And if you actually pastor a church, well...my goodness- it’s a moot point to question whether you are following Jesus; Of course you are!....right?

The check list goes on: “I don’t do those things I used to do before I ‘came to Jesus’; things like ‘run around, drink, cuss, chase women/men, etc, etc’. And of course as you are ‘checking off that box’, it usually is followed up with something along these lines: “But I’m not ‘perfect’ and I still sin regularly, just not as bad or often as I used to do and God is still working on me as I am a ‘work in progress’.” Besides, Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven! Everyone sins, even our preacher...he tells us that all the time how we ‘are sinners saved by grace and will always sin on this side of heaven’. Everyone knows that a ‘sinner is gonna sin’...we are just ‘saints who sin’. But thank goodness Jesus paid the price for all my sins and I’m covered by the blood and His mercies are new every morning!

Sound familiar?

So when you are done checking off that mental checklist, the question still needs to be asked: Are you following Him? Because you have to know by now that any of us can be quite busy ‘doing great things in His name’...and still not be a true ‘follower’. And please know: this is not calling into question your ‘faith’ in Him, or whether you have ‘served sincerely’ in a local church or even questioning that you had a genuine experience at some point in your life when you first ‘came to Jesus’.

I’m sure you get tired of hearing me quote this verse all the time, but it needs to be: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:23)

What is ‘His will’? He wants us to follow Him. How many people out there were told they just need to ‘say some prayer’ or ‘make some profession of faith’ and all will be well with their soul and when they die they go straight to heaven’? Who told you that?

Contrary to popular belief, we are not all ‘children of God’. (1 John 3:10)

We are told that when Jesus came, He gave us the ‘right/authority to become...children of God’, but it would involve a new start or beginning that included being ‘born again’. (John 1:12; 3:3). And it would become quite evident, even sooner than later...that ‘now are we the children of God’ (1 John 3:2). And guess how we or anyone else can tell?

For starters...”those who are led by His Spirit....these are the sons/children of God’. (Rom. 8:14)

Jesus said: “By this will all men known you are My disciples (followers)...if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). And here comes a ‘news flash’ for us all: We don’t get to define our own standard of what that ‘love’ looks like either; the way in which we demonstrate this love has pretty clear markings: We will love others as He loved us. (John 13:34). And I don’t know who needs to hear this next statement...but we will ‘love’ like that ...All. The. Time. As in ‘not when we feel like it, or when it’s convenient, or when other church folks are around us, etc.’

“Whoever has been ‘born of God’ no longer sins because God’s seed remains...in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

And “we know that whoever is born of God does not sin...and The One (Jesus) who was born of God protects him and the wicked one cannot touch him.” ( 1 John 3:18)

I know...you are again feeling frustrated because in all likelihood, this does not describe your walk. I get it. I understand. And I am not trying to condemn any one or make them feel ‘inadequate’ or like a ‘failure’. On the contrary...I am standing on a hilltop sounding the alarm...we have been deceived and fed a lie. And we better wake up and wake up soon (Matt. 25:7; Rom. 13:11; Eph.5:14-17) because the darkness is coming and it will not be pleasant. (John 12:35-36)

We were called to follow Him, in obedience (Luke 6:48; Heb. 5:9). This means we actually can ‘hear His voice...and follow Him’. (John 10:27). This is what it means to ‘abide’ in Him. This is the only way ‘fruit’ will ever be evident in our lives...IF...we are abiding/following Him. (John 15:4-5). This is how we show to be His disciples...that we ‘bear much fruit’...and this fruit will ‘remain’. (John 15:8,16) IF...we are abiding in Him, we will be ‘walking just as He walked’. (1 John 2:6). And the only way this is possible is IF...we have been ‘born of Him with incorruptible seed and have become partakers of His divine nature’. (1 Pet. 1:22-23; 2 Pet. 1:4). This is what it means to be a ‘new creation in Christ’ where the ‘old has gone and all things have become new’. (2 Cor. 5:17)

We can NEVER-EVER walk this way on an ongoing basis unless we are following Him. There is not a ‘pause’ button in this walk either. We are either going forward with Him, or ‘falling back/away’. (John 6:66; 2 Thess. 2:3). Why do you think the writer in Hebrews admonished us that “we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we ...drift away’. (2:1)

Tomorrow, Lord willing, I hope to expound upon this more and we can examine how this actually ‘works’ if/when we are following Him. But here’s a final thought to chew on as you enjoy the day off celebrating Memorial Day...

We are told that Jesus came to ‘give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death’. (Luke 1:79). So look at Psalm 23 now and what is it that we are ‘walking through...as He leads us (and we 'follow') in the paths of righteousness’? (3-4). It’s the ‘shadow of death’.

There’s another ‘shadow’ that we can be walking in, or ‘abiding in’; and it is the ‘shadow of the Almighty’. (Ps. 91:1). And we all know that shadows do not remain stationary, well at least God’s doesn’t. Which means we have to keep moving as well. But here’s the sticking point: You can’t abide in both shadows. You have to choose.

Join me tomorrow?