Follow Archives - Pastor Terry Lema's Daily Devotions

One day Jesus was walking along by the Sea of Galilee when He saw Simon and Andrew fishing. “Follow Me,” Jesus told them, and I will make you fish for people!” [Mark 1:16-17 HCSB]

They did just that. They left their nets and followed Him. A little way farther, He issued the same call to James and John, Zebedee’s sons. They left their father and their boats and followed Jesus. [Mark 1:18-20]

I do not know what these men, and the others Jesus called, were thinking when they turned away from everything and responded to Jesus’ call. Did they think they might be following a political leader or a religious one? Did they even consider that most all of them would end up martyred for placing their faith in Him?

In August of 1973, Jesus called a young woman in Orangevale, California. “Follow Me!” He invited. And she did. At the time I gave no thought to what following Him would mean. I had no idea where He would lead. I did not even contemplate what the journey would be like or the places He would take me.

When Jesus calls, He does not reveal where we are going. The only thing I knew about the journey is that once you decide to follow Him, there is no turning back. There is nothing behind me that can ever entice me to leave the company of the LORD Christ Jesus.

As I was writing this, I remembered an old chorus, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” (Link Below)

Once the decision is made to follow, our eyes must be on Him – no matter where He leads, we go.

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus with lyrics - Bing video

Last Sunday at The Way we studied what it means to love. The world has a fascination with the word “love.” We love God and family, football and rock bands, pizza and popcorn. The word becomes diluted from its strength when we apply it to things we merely “like,” because love is not about what we feel, it is about what we do. Love is an action word.

Christian love takes it one giant leap forward in that it involves sacrifice. It involves loving people we may not even like. Jesus reminded us that we are to even love our enemies. [Luke 6:28]

A couple of the Scriptures I studied for the “love” message were in 1 Corinthians. In Chapter 11 Paul told his readers to “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” [v1 HCSB]

Paul had already told them what that imitation looks like in Chapter 4. “When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world’s garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals.” [v12-13 HCSB]

While we casually read Paul’s actions about how he dealt with his enemies, I do not imagine that was a casual response for Paul. I imagine it took every bit of courage, determination, and grit to respond to enemies the way he thought Christ would, rather than the way he probably wanted to respond. It is far easier to respond in kind to harsh, unfair, slanderous treatment than to respond as Christ would, but Paul was determined to imitate Christ.

I am sure at the forefront of Paul’s mind was Christ Jesus’ response to His enemies at the cross. Jesus gave His life for the very people who were demanding and performing His execution, then He asked His father to forgive them.

We must remember that when Jesus was dying on that cross, not only was Paul his enemy, but we were also. Still, Jesus’ love reached out to us. Now it is our turn to reach out to our enemies as He would.

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