Following Jesus
Who or what do you follow?
Verse of the Day
‘Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”’
Today’s Devotional
What does it mean to follow someone or something? Whether you realize it or not, you follow something. Humans can follow any number of things: money, power, friends, popular culture, family, selfish desires, or God. I was having a conversation with someone recently who follows a certain set of rules in her life because of things she was taught in Catholic school 40 years ago. So even though she is a grown woman, she is still following the nuns who taught her in childhood.
Without intending to, many of us follow our own desires. We spend our lives being led by our desires, thoughts, emotions, preferences, and opinions – usually leading to quite a bit of drama.
In Bible times, it was typical for Jewish men to become followers of a Rabbi, in order to learn from him and then be able to become a teacher of others. Jesus is extending this type of invitation to Peter and Andrew in today’s verse. He is offering them a different path from the one they were currently on. They had no idea what that meant at the time Jesus said these words, so their willingness to leave their boat and follow Jesus is amazing.
Last year I read a book called Breathing Under Water written by Richard Rohr. In this book, he states, “Jesus said “follow me” and never once said “worship me”.” This statement made me look at what Jesus actually said. Don’t get me wrong, I believe Jesus is worthy of our worship and praise. But if we are trying to remain faithful to His teachings, then we need to look at what He is teaching. Today, He is teaching us to follow Him.
In order to follow Jesus, I need to become very familiar with who He is, what He said, how He acted, and what He taught. Hence this study. The one thing that stands out to me today is that Jesus repeatedly pointed to the Father. His life was not lived from a Self-centered axis. His guiding force for His life was carrying out the Father’s mission.
That makes me ask myself: “What is the guiding force of my life? Is it me, or is it God?” And, “Who, exactly, am I following? And how do I know?”
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Based on the evidence, what is the guiding force for your life?
How do you struggle with being led by your own desires, thoughts, emotions, preferences, and opinions?
How can you invite the Holy Spirit to show you the places in your life that are not being led by Jesus?
How can you follow Jesus more closely today?