Follow Me. Two of the simplest words that, when put together, make for a great meaning. Great meaning. Great cost. Great decision. Great victory. All come from the meaning of these two words put into action. Follow. Me.
Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17 "Jesus called out to them, 'Come follow me..'"
Luke 14:27 "…Carry your own cross and follow me.."
Matthew 16:24 "…Take up your cross, and follow me."
John 13:15 "I (Jesus) have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you."
Psalms 17:5 "My steps have stayed on Your (God's) path; I have not wavered from following You (God)."
I heard a man the other day say that the Gospel was the simplest thing to ever be explained, but the hardest thing to decide to follow.
I suppose this is because of the difference between the superficial meaning of the word "follow" and the deep rooted true meaning of the word "follow"
2 of the definitions found in Merriam-Webster's define the word follow as this:
1) To go, proceed, or come after
2) To engage in as a calling or way of life : pursue
The first definition sounds more like a game of Simon Says.. Not much risk involved. No true investment. No deeply rooted heart with a passion to not just mimick, but actually run after what it is that you're following.
But the second definition, now that choice to follow is life changing. It has great meaning. It's engaging. And it requires you to drop what you were to pursue who you will be. This is what Jesus asks us to do.
Follow Me.
The great meaning is defined. The great cost? There's 2 paths we can choose to follow. Both with their own set of costs.
The costs of choosing to follow this world:
Proverbs 14:12 "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death."
Psalms 81:11-15 "But no, my people wouldn't listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him; they would be doomed forever."
Matthew 10:38 "If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine."
Luke 14:27 "If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple."
The costs of choosing to follow God:
Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23 "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross and follw me."
Matthew 9:58 "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay His head."
Luke 9:60 "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God."
Mattew 10:22 "And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. BUT everyone who endures to the end will be saved."
Pretty heavy decision to make, huh?
Luke 14:28-30, 33 "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building wihtout first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, 'There's the person who started building and couldn't afford to finish it!…So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own."
The great decision: His way vs. My way
Matthew 25:46 "And they (people who choose their own way) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous (those who choose His way) will go into eternal life."
Only by choosing His way do we get to hear the sweet sweet sounds of victory: Eternal Life.
John 6:47 "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life."
John 12:50 "And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say."
This verse sums up the process quite perfectly; the meaning, the cost, the decision, the victory.
Luke 18:29 "And I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come."
We make a life of following God out to be so complicated, so RELIGIOUS. Our to do list is full of quiet times, church services, bible studies, and various other spiritual activities. But God never asks us to do any of that. He makes it so simple. Have faith. Pick up your cross & Follow Me.
One Love,
Kate
