And follow me concludes let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily’ otherwise your following Jesus only will be a wasted labour to you because you have not obeyed the previous two instructions.
What does it mean to follow the Lord Jesus?
God had already predestinated every true child of God to be conformed to the lifestyle of Jesus and to walk in His footsteps. Following Jesus is living exactly the lifestyle of Jesus.
“And follow Me (that is cleave steadfastly to me, conform wholly to my examples, in living and if need be by dying also” Luke 9:23 (Amplified)
Looking at the amplified version of the Bible, the first and foremost implication of following Jesus as Christians is that following Jesus is a call placed on our lives. For any new creation man to please God he must respond positively to this call. You must tread the path Jesus trod, and must embrace Jesus pattern of life and service. There is no other way of living that will please God, except this Jesus’ own way.
Jesus Himself declared with authority and finality:
Jesus said to Him, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.
“If you had known me, you would have known my father also, and from now on you know Him and have seen Him”. Jn. 14:6-7
God, who at various times and various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophet, has in these last days spoken to us by His son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. Heb. 1:1-2
God used several means to communicate His thought and His wisdom to men in time past but in these last days He has spoken to us by His son.
“This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him. Matt. 17:5
Now we are to listen to what Jesus says either by His mouth or by His action. Whatever Jesus says is what God has shown in all pages of the scripture.
You search the scripture, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me.
But you are not willing to come to me that you may have life. Jn. 5:39-40
The reading, studying or searching diligently of the scripture will only reveal Jesus - God’s only way of living. So, God demands that we follow Jesus.
From the study, we have come to understand that the instruction of Jesus ‘Follow me’ is for us to adapt our lives and pattern it after His own way of living. To look at Him and place our legs where He places His own. Everything about us as Christians should be derived from His own life.
God’s own goal is to pattern a man’s life after Christ life so He gave gifts to some men to help mould such a man to fulfill His purpose on earth.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelist, and some Pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:11-13.
Your personal desire and decision is to arise and follow Him in everything for God to achieve His goal.
Remain blessed
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