Follow Me

Afterward… The Old English origin of this word is “from aft (behind) to turn towards.” Ultimately it defines a kind of moving on, or a kind of “turn around," not exactly the same as repentance, but this idea is recognized in Jesus’ invitation to “follow Me.”

We leave the path we were on and decide to walk with Him. 1 Peter 2:21, “To this (suffering for Christ) you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.” Paul would later remind Timothy of the high price of following Jesus in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” And of course, Jesus gave a disclaimer to those who had decided to join His journey. He said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first” (John 15:18).

However, the fact still remains that we’ve been called to follow Him, and all the repercussions of that choice. We make a decision to turn from our place of comfort, our normalcy, and our routines and are called to adopt His lifestyle. From aft to turning towards Him!

It takes a willingness, and it takes action. This is something that Jesus reminded His apostles of during His last night in the garden. He said in Mark 14:38, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The willingness is the motivation for action, but the action still has to take place

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus mentioned the kind of people that go to heaven; He says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Like ‘willingness’, faith and following Jesus require us to begin to live like He did. John tells us in 1 John 5:2-3, “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.”

Jesus’ sermon revealed to all of us the kind of people that love others the way Jesus did. His sermon points us to a way of looking at the world that will seem odd or crazy to some, but it will offer a peace that passes all understanding. Seek that by turning away from our worldly view of life and following His spiritual view of life.