Follow Me

When we accepted the Lord into our hearts and lives, we acted

in faith. We fully believed God sent His son and had him die on the

cross for our sins. We also believed He rose on the third day, and

because of that we were saved from an eternity in hell. We knew at

that moment we were someday going to spend eternity with our

heavenly father Jesus Christ. What an act of faith it took to choose to

believe in something we had never seen, but knew we were saved. We

put our eternal souls into the Lord’s hands.

Why is it then that some of us have such a hard time totally

surrendering our lives here on earth to God’s plan and purpose for

us? Why do we still want to control our own lives and make our own

decisions? We depend too much on ourselves. It’s as though we’re

saying, “Ok Lord, I trust you with my eternal life, but not my earthly

one.” We knew the moment we accepted Christ that we needed and

wanted Him in our hearts and lives. We trusted that He heard us and

saved us but why not every day in every situation? Christ did not just

die on the cross so we could have forgiveness, go to heaven and then

say to us, “Ok go on now, I’ll find out how your life went when you

get to Heaven.”

He wants our lives to always reflect Him. He wants to guide us

and give us an abundant life. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only

to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and

have it to the full.” Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have

for you” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.”

God’s word tells us He has good plans for us and not to hurt us.

There should be no hesitation in us saying, “Lord take my whole life,

my plans, my thoughts and do what you want.” Who are we to think

we know more than God? We are only here because He created us.

He gave us life! When we try to handle our own lives, we are in effect

saying, “I don’t trust you Lord and I think I can do it better.” That

sounds harsh but it’s reality.

What is amazing is that the disciples gave up everything to

follow Jesus. Matthew 4:18-22 says, “And walking by the sea of

Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and

Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were

fisherman. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you

fishers of men.” And they immediately left the nets and followed

Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the

son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedeee

their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they

immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him.”

Matthew 9:9 says, “And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a

man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him

“Follow Me!” and he rose and followed Him.”

These men immediately rose to their feet and followed Jesus.

They had no idea what was in store for them. They gave up their

careers and left their family members to follow Jesus. The word

follow in the dictionary means, “To come or come after and in the

same direction.” Jesus wants us to follow Him and go in His

direction, not for Him to come in our direction.

I encourage you not only to look to Him regarding your

salvation but look to Him for everything. Remember His plans for us

are good, and even better than we could imagine. We have nothing to

fear by giving Him total control over our lives. II Timothy 1:7 says,

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love

and of a sound mind.”

It’s a walk of faith that we must take, but also an exciting

journey. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to

please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and

that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” The disciples didn’t

always fully understand everything, but they continued to follow

Him. We are also not always going to understand and foresee what is

ahead, but that’s the exciting part! Look at what the disciples would

have missed had they not given up everything and followed the Lord.

Let’s not miss out on what God wants to do through us and for us to

accomplish His will.

What About You?

1. What has following Jesus cost you?

2. Is there anything hindering you from giving God total control

of your life?

From God's Garden Tools by Gina Burns