Jesusluvsall's Blog

What does follow mean anymore? Has follow lost some meaning in our time? Being a language teacher, words and their meanings interest me. Words tend to change over time or drop off from everyday use.

Nowadays follow is used mostly in reference to follow someone’s blog or follow them on social media like twitter or instagram. But that kind of follow doesn’t call us to a commitment. One simple click and we can unfollow the person.

When Jesus came to his disciples and called them, he said- “follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” The disciples left their homes and livelihoods to follow Jesus. They spent most of their time with Jesus for three years. When Jesus said, “follow me,” he was calling them to commit to him as he committed to them.

Jesus calls all of us to follow him. Following him will eventually lead to eternal rewards, but there can be a cost. Jesus also said in Matthew 10:

“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

The vast majority of Christians have not literally taken up a cross. Jesus was teaching that following him requires us to make sacrifices in our lives. Sacrifices of our time, prayer, yes even money. There is a cost to following Jesus. We might be rejected. In many places in the world Christians are persecuted.

My hope is that my response to Jesus would be like Peter’s in John 6 when the crowds left Jesus and Jesus asked Peter and the others if they wanted to leave too:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

If I really believe that Jesus is the one and only Son of God and Savior of the world, I will also realize there is nowhere else to go. Jesus said of himself in John 14:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

If we let that sink in, that Jesus is the only way and there is nowhere else to go, perhaps we will commit ourselves more fully to him. Fortunately he gives us the ability to follow him and live for him through the Holy Spirit. 🙂

As I wrote this I kept remembering the old song I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.