Simply Follow

Jesus concludes His fourfold invitation (behind Him, self-denial, and take up our cross) with "Follow Me." Simple right? It is like Jesus meets these men, takes off running as he says, "Follow Me." Will they respond? Will they take off after Him? Or will they say, "Wait, let me do this or that first." And, He says, "No time to wait. Let's go." You are either in or out. You are either ready or you are not. Some ran alongside curious as to what the commotion was all about. But, when they saw the race was a lifetime journey, they dropped off and went home. They did not understand the nature of following Jesus. Simply following is not simple. There are some things we need to understand about the nature of following.

• Presence: It is not enough to say to Jesus "Just tell me where we are going and I'll plug it into my GPS and meet you there." It is not just getting a Jesus Map and figuring out the best route. Following is about being with Jesus. It is follow ME. We have to be close enough to see Him and know when He changes directions. Most of following is simply about being with Him.
• Direction: It is impossible to follow Jesus without moving in the same direction. The directions are marked out. Sometimes we might think we can simply draw a straight line between two points and have the best route. That is not how it works in life or in following Jesus. That kind of thinking will take you through a swamp or over a mountain that you need not cross. Jesus is the guide who knows the way. Just leave your map at home. You will not need it. All you need is to follow Him.
• Company: The word Follow means to Accompany. We not only accompany Jesus but we accompany all those who accompany Jesus. Jesus chose the apostles. They did not get a vote. This is not a democracy. We don't pick the team or our teammates. When Jesus started naming the apostles I wonder if John was thinking, "O Jesus please don't pick that one." Once we board the plane or the cruise ship we are stuck with the companions we have for the journey. We are all there because we trust the captain to get us there.
• Purpose: To what were we called. Why are we making the journey. Some will say "to get to heaven." Well, ultimately. But that is not the sole purpose of the journey. We are on the journey following Jesus so we can BECOME. It is about change, growth, learning, and becoming. "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." It is a change of purpose for us. We leave our lives behind and take up His agenda.

So the question remains. Will I simply follow knowing that I get to be with Jesus, heading in His direction, with His company, and for His purpose? That is what the decision to follow is about.