Day Fifteen
“Follow Me”
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24
I told the story yesterday about preaching at a camp and missing my family, through which the Lord told me to follow Him. Well, to be more specific, Matthew 16.24 is the verse He spoke to me during that time of prayer. There was nothing else, just this verse. I have come to love and appreciate this verse.
As we look at it today, let me briefly state what I believe the Lord is calling each of us to do. First, He is calling us to a willingness to endure suffering for His sake. To Jesus’ disciples, taking up the cross meant choosing to endure suffering, persecution, and even death. We have the blessing of having received redemption as a result of what Jesus did on the cross and it has therefore become a symbol of hope to Christians everywhere. The context of what Jesus is challenging us to is a call to be willing to suffer in following Him. That suffering might take many shapes and forms. You might suffer physically through persecution in sharing the gospel both at home and abroad. You might suffer ridicule from those who do not understand your methods or your ways. You might suffer poverty as did John Wesley or David Brainerd. You might be called to suffer in many different ways, but get this, a call to follow Jesus Christ is not always a call to a picnic. Yes, He offers us abundant life, but sometimes He leads us through some difficult and treacherous places when we answer His call to Follow Him. God’s call to the disciples led most of them to die a martyr’s death.
We are so filled with love of ourselves and our comfort, security, and ambitions, we have left little room for the cross in our lives. If we are really serious about following Him, then we are going to be called to take up the cross in our own lives. We will have to learn to die to the opinion of men and die to the luxuries of this world. I am not saying that we might not be loved or be allowed to enjoy luxuries from time to time, I am saying that we should not get too attached to those things. During His time on earth, Jesus Himself had no place to lay His head and spent his last hours on a cross enduring unimaginable torture. Who are you and I to be unwilling to endure a little suffering if and when we are called to do so?
The last thing Jesus told His disciples was to follow Him. He did not spell out where that path would lead, and He did not give them a detailed map. He did not even give them some hints; it was an all-in kind of thing. We are called to follow Christ anywhere, at any time, to do anything. For me that has meant traveling to foreign countries such as Cuba and Canada. I have been called to do things that did not make sense to the world. I have been called to follow Him to places that were extremely uncomfortable and trying, but it has been worth it. In response to our following Him in full surrender guess what we receive in turn? Full and abundant life. (John 10:10) This abundant life is what being a disciple of Christ is all about. Many will not taste this abundance of life because they are not willing to follow Christ anywhere. They are trying to protect themselves and what they are getting is a life of frustration with little joy and fulfillment. Following Christ is an adventure, and fulfilling beyond words.
What are you going to do with Jesus’ invitation for you to follow Him? You may not know where it will lead but do you trust Him? I never saw as an eighteen-year-old kid that call to follow Jesus meant preaching for me. There is nothing else I would rather do, and I love the calling He has placed on my life. Most people who read this will never be called to be a pastor or missionary. You might be called to teach a small group, give your life to serve and minister to small children, or to be an intercessor in your community.
Will you give God your “yes” today and completely surrender to follow Him anywhere? I am not saying that it will always be easy but I am saying that it will be rewarding and fulfilling like nothing else you have ever done in this life.
Steps to Trust and Obey:
Will you give God your “yes” to follow Him?
Where do you sense Him leading you to go and what do you sense Him leading you to do?
Prayerfully take those first steps in obedience, trusting Him with each successive step.
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