FOLLOW ON

I passed by an elementary school the other day and saw a group of kids, on the playground, playing the game “Follow the Leader.” Do you remember that game? The rules are easy. One person is the leader and the rest of the children follow, doing the same things the leader does. As I watched these kids their leader took the group running, skipping, jumping over obstacles, spinning, rolling down a hill, and at the end they fell into some kind of dog-pile with all the kids laughing. There were grins on their faces revealing the sheer joy of the game.

Jesus has issued an invitation for us to do somewhat the same thing. “Whoever serves me must follow me…”—John 12:26. “Come, follow me,” He says. That’s why I use the title phrase Christ-follower instead of Christian, because it gives a clear and precise picture defining what a believer in Jesus Christ does—follow.

Unfortunately, most adults have lost the love of following the leader. Instead of venturing into the mystery of the unknown, we require specific information like, Where are we going? How long will it take to get there? What do I need to bring? How long will we be gone? And, without affirmation of the answer, we refuse to budge. In turn, we miss the great adventure altogether.

There is a hymn of the church written by William O. Cushing that sings of following our leader Jesus:

Down in the valley with my Savior I will go,
Where the flow’rs are blooming and the sweet waters flow;
Everywhere He leads me I will follow, follow on,
Walking in His footsteps till the crown be won.

 Down in the valley with my Savior I will go,
Where the storms are sweeping and the dark waters flow;
With His hand to lead me I will never, never fear,
Danger cannot fright me if my Lord is near.

Down in the valley, or upon the mountain steep,
Close beside my Savior will my soul ever keep;
He will lead me safely in the path that He has trod,
Up to where they gather on the hills of God.

Chorus:
Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus!
Anywhere, everywhere, I will follow on!
Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus!
Everywhere He leads me I will follow on!

The invitation to follow Jesus is a journey into discipleship. You can come. You can participate, but only if you follow His lead. There’s no guarantee that all your questions will be answered. More times than not the path is often hidden, but if we want to enjoy the journey, we must follow on.

 

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