Choosing To Follow Jesus

-January 4, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.”

(Matthew 9:9).

When Jesus was on earth, He called people individually to follow Him. Each one of us today must respond to His call in salvation, in walking with Him, in discipleship, and in soul winning. Jesus never forces anyone to follow Him, He gives us the choice, but there are consequences if we don’t follow Him, but great blessings if we do.

• Follow in salvation – We cannot be saved unless we follow Jesus. Jesus called Matthew, also called Levi, to follow Him in order to be saved. He arose and followed Him. He left the tax collection business right then and there. Peter, Andrew, James, and John left the fishing business. When we get saved, we leave behind our old life, our associations and friends, and most of all our sins.

• Follow in discipleship – To be a disciple goes beyond just being saved and going to church. It means identifying ourselves with our Lord, bearing our cross, and suffering with Him. Jesus told His followers in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” We must be all in, we cannot follow Jesus half way or halfheartedly. We can’t remain in the kiddy pool or stay in the shallow end of the pool, we must swim in the deep water. Being a disciple requires many sacrifices, and is a serious matter.

• Follow in walking – When we get saved we must choose to walk with Jesus, abide in Him, obey Him, and serve Him. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Following Jesus is not a religion but a relationship. After forgiving and restoring Peter for denying Him three times, He told Peter in John 21:19, “Follow Me.” And when Peter asked Him about John, Jesus told him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22). We can’t worry about what others do or whether they follow Christ, we must follow Him.

• Follow in soul winning – In order to lead others to Christ, we must have a love and passion for those who are lost and in need of Him. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” A good fisherman knows how to fish, where to fish, and how to be patient. He also knows how to teach others to fish. We as soul winners aren’t responsible for the results, that is the Holy Spirit’s work, we are responsible for faithfully sharing our faith with others.

May the Lord help us to follow Him daily. Let us spend time with Him in prayer and in the Word. Have you decided to follow Jesus? The unknown hymn writer wrote, “I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.” He also stated in the other verses: “The world behind me, the cross before me; Tho none go with me, I still will follow; and will you decide now to follow Jesus?

Have a blessed day following Jesus, both today and each day this year. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace and goodness,

Dean