Follow Jesus!
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Matthew 16: 24
An adult and a four-year-old child go for a walk outdoors. They
begin their walk on the sidewalk or path, with the adult carrying
on a lively conversation with the little one. Pretty soon, the
adult
realizes the conversation has become one-sided. The child
has
stopped responding to questions and has stopped
contributing
verbally.
The adult turns around, only to discover the child has stopped
following. He's way behind, looking at rocks, flowers, and bugs,
and wandering into a neighbor’s yard. For this conversation to
resume and be meaningful, the child needs to follow the adult
more closely.
“Following” is a central theme of life with Jesus Christ.
He identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd; His sheep
follow Him so closely and so consistently that they know
the sound of His voice.
That means they can immediately detect a stranger’s
(possibly dangerous) voice and then hear the Good
Shepherd’s voice of safety and direction.
If you want to hear God’s voice, make sure
to stay close to the Good Shepherd through
prayer, worship, and the Word.
"It costs to follow Jesus Christ,
but it costs more not to."
Greg Laurie
