Following Christ involves immediate and wholehearted commitment to His call, reflecting a life dedicated to His teachings and kingdom. This subject often uses imagery of discipleship and urgency, emphasizing that delay or hesitation can lead to disqualification from God's kingdom (Matthew 4:19; Luke 9:62). It underscores the cost and immediacy of true obedience in the Christian journey.
Delaying following Christ for worldly reasons disqualifies one from God's kingdom.
"And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell which are at home at my house.'And Jesus said to him, 'No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God'" (Luke 9:61-62).
"I will follow You, Lord, but first let me see if my parents approve."
"I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go to a few more parties. And as soon as I get that out of my system, I will settle down."
"I will follow You, Lord, but first let me get married. As soon as I establish a home, I will follow you."
"We will follow You, Lord, but first let us raise our children. They are so small now, and it is difficult to carry them along while following You."
"We will follow You, Lord, but first let us get our children through high school. We have to work six days a week to pay the bills, and the children are so busy with school activities that there just is not time to follow You."
"I would like to follow You now, Lord, but I must first see if my husband will come, too. I do not want to follow You alone."
"I will follow You, Lord, but first let me retire. Then I will have time to follow you."
"I would like to follow You, Lord, but it is too late now. I have not done it all these years, and You cannot teach an old dog new tricks."
Death comes at last, and the day of salvation is over. One is separated from God eternally because one put off following Christ until it was too late.
True commitment to Christ requires disregarding even close relations who oppose Him.
A young man devoted himself to a religious life. His ungodly parents sent him many letters to dissuade him. Being fully decided to go on in his chosen course, when any letters came addressed to him he threw them into the fire at once, without opening them. When friends or kindred stand between us and Christ, they must be disregarded.
Jesus and His disciples exemplified diligence through faithful work and trade.
As Satan selects his disciples when they are idle, so our Saviour chose his while they were busy at their trade, — either mending their nets, or casting them into the sea. Nay, he himself stooped to a trade, and was a carpenter.
— Farrindon
Dying with Christ honors believers as they share in their Master's death.
A famous captain once said to a soldier dying with him,
"Hadst thou been obscure all thy life, yet art thou not a little honored to-day in dying with thy master."
— N. Causain
Christ’s example of enduring hardship calls believers to follow His sacrificial path.
When Alexander the Great marched through Persia, his way was stopped with ice and snow. His soldiers became tired out with hard marching, and, being discouraged, would have gone no farther; but he, perceiving it, dismounted from his horse, and made his way through the ice in the midst of them all with a pickaxe. They were all ashamed; and his friends, the captains of the army, and, lastly, the common soldiers, followed him. So should all men follow Christ by that rough and unpleasant way of the cross; he having left them an example, they are to follow in his steps.
Partial obedience in following Christ leads to failure; full obedience is necessary.
Two persons were walking together one very dark night, when one said to the other, who knew the road well, "I shall follow you, so as to be right." He soon fell into a ditch, and accused the other with his fall. The other replied, "Then you did not follow me exactly; for I have kept free." A side-step had caused the fall. There is like danger in not following Christ fully.
Following Christ’s footsteps makes the difficult path easier and guides believers rightly.
It is reported in the Bohemian story, that St. Wenceslaus, their king, one winter night going to his devotions in a remote church, barefooted, in the snow and sharpness of unequal and pointed ice, his servant, Redevivus, who waited upon his master's piety, and endeavored to imitate his affections, began to faint through the violence of the snow and cold, till the king commanded him to follow him, and set his feet in the same footsteps which his feet should mark for him. The servant did so, and either fancied a cure or found one; for he followed his prince, helped forward with shame and zeal to his imitation, and by the forming footsteps in the snow. In the same manner does the blessed Jesus; for since our way is troublesome, obscure, full of objection and danger, apt to be mistaken, and to affright our industry, he commands us to mark his footsteps, to tread where his feet have stood; and not only invites us forward by the argument of his example, but he hath trodden down much of the difficulty, and made the way easier, and fit for our feet. Jeremy Taylor.
True discipleship means following Christ alone as the perfect example, not any human.
One day, thinking to amuse him, his wife read to Dr. Judson some newspaper notices, in which he was compared to one or other of the apostles. He was exceedingly distressed; and then he added, "Nor do I want to be like them. I do not want to be like Paul nor Apollos nor Cephas, nor any mere man. I want to be like Christ. We have only one perfectly safe Exemplar, — only One, who, tempted like as we are in every point, was yet without sin. I want to follow him only, copy his teachings, drink in his Spirit, place my feet in his footprints, and measure my short-comings by these and these alone. Oh, to be more like Christ!"
Francis I risked all in battle, motivated by Christ’s call: ‘Let him that loves me follow me.’
of France had not reached his twentieth year when he was present at the celebrated battle of Marignan, which lasted two days. The Marshal de Trivale, who had been in eighteen pitched battles, said that those were the play of infants; but that this of Marignan was the combat of giants. Francis performed on this occasion prodigies of valor: he fought less as a king than as a soldier. Having perceived his standard-bearer surrounded by the enemy, he precipitated himself to his assistance in the midst of lances and halberts. He was presently surrounded; his horse pierced with several wounds; and his casque despoiled of its plumes. He must have been inevitably overwhelmed, if a body of troops detached from the allies had not hastened to his succor. Francis hazarded this battle against the advice of his generals; and cut short all remonstrance by the celebrated expression, which became afterwards proverbial, "Let him that loves me follow me." Percy.
Blindly following a leader can lead others to destruction.
The London butchers have the following custom: a sheep is taken and petted till it becomes wonted to the place, and attached to its owner. It is then used as a decoy; being led to the marketplace where the purchase is made of the little flock for the slaughter, and there placed at their head. The butcher then starts for home; the decoy sheep accompanies him; the others instinctively follow, according to sheep-nature, and refuse to be separated, threading their way through streets and lanes, carts and carriages, pleased with following their leader, till they reach the place of death.
Children should approach Jesus willingly, not pushed, showing genuine desire for Him.
A Christian mother was once showing her little girl, about five years old, a picture representing Jesus holding an infant in his arms, while the mothers were pushing their children towards him. "There, Carrie!" said her mother: "this is what I would have done with you if I had been there."—"I wouldn't be pushed to Jesus," said little Carrie: "I'd go to him without pushing."
Ministers should keep their eyes on Christ as their leader amid trials and labors.
At the battle of Lake Erie, when, in the sweeping havoc which was sometimes made, a number of men were shot away from around a gun, the survivors looked silently around to Perry, and then stepped into their places. When he looked at the poor fellows who lay wounded and weltering on the deck, he always found their faces turned towards him, and their eyes fixed on his countenance. In the midst of trials and labors, the minister should keep his eyes on the great Leader, Christ.
Salvation involves hearing, following, testifying, abiding, and winning others to Christ.
Hearing of Christ as Lamb of God (v. 36). Following (v. 37). Testifying of (v. 41). Looking upon (v. 36). Abiding with (v. 39). Winning others (v. 42)
A lamb's bleating leads the flock, illustrating Christ's drawing power over His sheep.
It is said that in the Eastern lands when the shepherd desires to transfer the parent sheep from one pasture to another, he takes a little lamb in his bosom and carries it to the new pasture himself. When its plaintive bleating is heard by the older sheep, they all follow it to the new pasture ground.
Close following of Christ reveals His path clearly; distance causes confusion.
The late Dr. Andrew Bonar once remarked in his own quaint fashion that it was always easy to trace the footprints of a person if we walked close behind him, but if we were some distance back we might fail to find them; and accordingly, if we followed close after the Master we would easily see the way, but if we tried to follow afar off we would find it difficult to know the path of His will.
True learning must never separate the heart from Christ above all else.
In a letter of Abelard to Eloisa, the following paragraph occurs:—"I will be no philosopher, if so be I must needs fight against St. Paul; I will be no Aristotle, if so be I be separated from Christ." If all students were thus resolved to hold with the great Teacher at all hazards, we should not see such frequent victims of "philosophy, falsely so called." Unlettered ignorance is a great evil, but learned ignorance is worse, and such is all learning which decoys the heart from Jesus.
Following Christ's footsteps requires going the right way, not just any way.
* * * * *
“I’d have you know, sir,” said the Congressman from one of the tall-grass districts, “that I am walking in the footsteps of George Washington.”
“I see you are,” rejoined the wise guy, “but for some reason unknown to me, you are headed the wrong way.” (Text.)--Chicago _News_.
Fearful boys obeyed Jesus' call, showing courage to follow Christ despite their fears.
A missionary doctor at Shanghai was lying one night in his bed fast asleep, when he was awakened by a loud knocking at his front door. Even Chinese grown men are very much afraid of the dark, so he was very much surprized to see two little lads from a village five miles distant standing at his door. They said their school-teacher had been taken ill, and they had come for some medicine to help him. “Why didn’t some men come on this errand?” the missionary asked. “Because they were afraid,” said the boys. “Why were not you afraid?” “We were,” said the boys, “but we thought it was what Jesus Christ would like us to do, so we came.” (Text.)
Partial or inexact following leads to failure, not safety in the Christian walk.
Two persons were walking together one very dark night, when one said to the other, who knew the road well, “I shall follow you so as to be right.” He soon fell into a ditch and blamed the other for his fall. The other said, “Then you did not follow me exactly, for I walked safely.” (Text.)
A Sioux warrior tries both ways and chooses the satisfying Christian path.
Wakutemani, a Sioux warrior, was an acknowledged leader among the young Indians of his tribe. He heard a woman missionary tell the gospel story, but tho he felt strangely drawn to Christianity, he threw himself more ardently into the heathen dances and practises. One day he said to the missionary, “I will try your way without leaving the old way for a year, and at the end of that time I will follow the way that has satisfied me.” She taught him to pray and gave him directions for living a clean, straight life. At the end of the year Wakutemani appeared painted and be-feathered to lead the young braves in the old war-dance. The dance was wild and calculated to awaken all the savage instincts; but during a pause in drum-beating, Wakutemani stept into the center of the circle and motioned for silence. “I said I would try both ways. This way does not satisfy me. If any others feel as I do, let them follow me.” Two young warriors, Many Bulls and White Sitting Buffalo, rose silently and followed him out of the ring. They went to the mission house and said to the missionary, “We wish to follow your way. Ours does not satisfy.” All three have now many years of consistent Christian life to their credit, and one has passed to his reward. (Text.)
Christ’s example shows the value of firsthand experience to compassionately reach the lost.
A news item from Denver, Colorado, says:
Determined to learn at first hand where and how the homeless and shivering men live who slept on the street, E. A. Brown, cousin of President W. C. Brown, of the New York Central, and himself independently rich, has been haunting the railroad and stock-yards and the slums of Denver for weeks. Drest in shabby and threadbare clothes, he has mingled with the unemployed and shared their experiences. He will use this experience to aid in securing the establishment of a municipal lodging-house, which will shelter the homeless during the winter months.
This is the scientific method of the social student to-day. It was first, however, the method of Christ. “He came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Text.)
