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Follow Me
John O’Malley
In Matthew 4 we read of Christ’s call to the fishermen to follow Him. Each call of God has four common parts. There is a divine interruption when God shows up and makes His will known. There is a divine invitation to follow Him. There is a divine intention, as He reveals what His will includes. There is a divine indication of how the individual can participate in His plan. Those who choose to follow Him have an opportunity to walk with God, to watch God work, and to work with God.
Follow Me When You Have Nothing Else to Give
Paul Zimmer
God calls us to places where we do not know what to do because He wants us to trust Him. It is easy to read the victories in the Bible and forget the inner struggle that men faced before they made the right decisions. In Exodus 14 Moses gave the right answer to the Israelites in verse 14, but we see in verse 15 he was still crying to God in fear! Moses knew God would do something, but didn’t know what that would be. God’s answer was to stop crying and move forward. If all risk is removed there is no faith. God brings us to the end of our rope so we will look up and let Him be God. In such moments we have nothing else because we don’t need anything else. We have Him, and that is enough.
Follow Me When It Requires Standing Alone
Barry Goodman
Great men of God are often alone when they face their biggest victories. Often, we are alone because we are the only one remaining true to principles. Paul experienced this, as he wrote to Timothy in II Timothy 4. Following God requires affirmation. Believe what you preach, and be not ashamed of the Gospel. Following God is both the result of separation and results in separation. When you follow God He calls you to separate from some, and when you do, others will separate from you. Following God renders identification. Who you are with determines who you are. In following God we must resist intellectualism; it is not the method that matters! When following God we must respond in determination.
Follow Me When it Requires Sacrifice
David Fulp
Christ is our ultimate example of sacrifice. He had a humble heart. If your heart is
not behind your service you are just putting on a show. He was willing to sacrifice. He gave up the height of all glory to stoop to the lowest birth, and on the cross, He willingly submitted not only to death but to the most painful and shameful torture known. Follow Christ and He will show you what He wants you to sacrifice. He had a purpose driven life. He was focused on bringing glory to the Father. In so doing, the Father was able to exalt Him. Your service comes down to your motive. What is your purpose in serving Christ? It must be about His glory, not yours.
Follow Me When You Cannot See the Plan
Jeremy Lockhart
Job thought he understood God. But he had no idea the battle Satan was waging, or what was really happening in his own life. When we can’t see the plan we must hold His steps. The individual steps on the path are ordered by Him. We must keep His way. We must not decline. During these times Satan hurls his fiercest darts to draw us aside. Hold to the truth and surety of the Word of God. Don’t go back. If God closes one door He has better ones to open. We must esteem His Words more than all else. His Word is the lamp that will light our path and guide our steps.
Follow Me After Failure
Mike Renfrow
John Mark’s life shows us that failure does not have to be final. Stumbling stones
can become stepping stones. Failure can teach us valuable lessons. When we fail while serving the Lord, we learn that God is the God of second chances. When we fail Him, He still loves us. We learn that God makes no mistakes. He has a specific ministry to which He called us, and His calling comes with His enabling. John Mark learned that he was not the apostle Paul. Don’t try to be someone you are not. When you are yourself, God gets the glory from your ministry. John Mark learned that even in his failure there was someone who had not given up on him. Barnabas was there to encourage him, believe in him, and show him the potential God had given.
Follow Me Through Criticism
Michael West
Scripture teaches us that criticism will come. It even teaches us how to give and how to receive criticism. There is the accurate type, that is essentially valid if not all correct. We must see this as an opportunity to change. There is the inaccurate type, essentially incorrect even if it includes an element of truth. This is an opportunity to teach. There is also the destructive type, marked by fault finding and complaining. When we are criticized we must still follow in Christ’s steps and mimic His behavior. We must be clean. We are not sinless as He is, but we can be cleansed. We must exercise constraint. Christ showed biblical manhood by exercising the ability to control his appetites. Temperance comes from the Holy Spirit. Remember the real enemy is Satan; he just uses people as tools to discourage you. We must have confidence in the Father. Commit yourself to God Who judges all unrighteousness. He will use this to make us better if we will let Him work.