Luke 9:23-25
Then Jesus said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”
The following story is told in relation to Jesus inviting us to follow him.
A young woman, not confident in driving in the snow, had been told by her dad, that if it snowed when driving, she should wait until she saw a snowplow and just follow that!
The day came when it really snowed. When she got to her car, she waited for a snowplow to come and then began to follow it. Half an hour later, the snow-plow came to a halt and its driver walked back to the young woman in the car. “Why are you following me?” he asked. The woman told him the instructions she had received from her father, to which the driver said, “Well, I’m finished plowing the WalMart parking lot. If you want to follow me, I’ll be going to Best Buy next.”
It makes a difference who you follow and why. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” If we follow Jesus, we are sure to be on the right track. Jesus said, “Follow me.”
In I Kings 18:20, Ahab gathered the Israelite people together along with the prophets at Mount Carmel. The prophet Elijah came among them saying, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” Make up your mind! Who will you follow? The answer to that question, makes all the difference in your life!
In The Message translation by Eugene Peterson, Luke 9:23-25 states,
Then Jesus told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?”
An old Gospel song says,
Follow, I will follow Thee my Lord.
Follow, every passing day.
My tomorrows are all known to Thee.
Thou wilt lead me all the way.
Prayer: Lord, I know I sometimes make foolish decisions. I really do want to follow you and your ways. Help me stay on track—right with you. Amen.