Following Jesus – 1
I Will
Follow Jesus by Bryan Gibson
Let me tell you about the invitation Jesus has extended to me. It’s the same one He issued to Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:19), to James and John (Matthew 4:21),
to Matthew (Matthew 9:9), Philip (John 1:43), and the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:21). The
invitation, simply put, is follow Me!
I’m not ashamed to say that I have decided to follow Jesus, and here are just a few
reasons why.
I follow Him, because I believe in Him—that He is everything He claims to be. I believe
that He is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31), because the evidence is just too strong to believe otherwise. And because
I believe that He is the Son of God, I believe every other claim He makes about Himself. I believe that...
- He is eternal—the One “who is and who was
and who is to come,” the “First and the Last,” the “Beginning and the End,” the “Alpha
and Omega” (Revelation 1:4, 8; 2:8).
- He is the “Lord of lords and King of kings”
(1 Timothy 6:15).
- He is “Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11).
- He is the “Light of the world,” the “Way,
the Truth, and the Life” (John 8:12; 14:6).
- He is the “Lamb of God,” the Savior of my
soul (John 1:29, 36; 4:42)
- He is “the Judge of the living and
the dead” (Acts 10:42; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
Who else, in my right mind, would I follow? (John 6:68). Jesus,
because of who He is, is worthy of my complete trust and devotion.
I follow Him, because I believe that He “loved me and gave Himself for me”
(Galatians 2:20). No one took His life (John 10:18), for as the song says, “He could have called ten thousand angels”
(see Matthew 26:53). I was one of His sheep who had gone astray (1 Peter 2:25), and so as the good shepherd, He laid down
His life for me (John 10:17-18). He did this, despite my unworthiness (Romans 5:6-8). After all, it was my sins that nailed
Him to the cross. How can I refuse someone who did that for me? “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life,
my all.”
I follow Him, because I believe His promises, promises described as “exceedingly
great and precious” (2 Peter 1:4). If I commit to following Him...
- He will take away my sins, or save me from my sins (John
1:29; Matthew 1:21).
- He will give me rest for my soul (Matthew 11:28-30).
- He will give me a new life, an abundant life, a life
as a child of God (John 3:3-5; 10:10; 1:12).
- He will give me food for my soul, food that endures
to everlasting life (John 6:27).
- He will be with Me, and He will never cast me out (John
14:23; 6:38; 10:27).
- He will give me peace in a world full of tribulation
(John 16:33; 14:27).
- He will give me joy that no one can take from me (John
16:22; 15:11).
- He will come again, and give me eternal
life—in a place He has prepared for me (John 6:54; 14:1-3).
How can I turn my back on such wonderful promises? I
follow Jesus, because only He can give me what I truly need; only He can give me eternal life.
If I’m foolish and choose not to follow—He will give me none of these things,
and in the end, He will take vengeance on me and punish me with everlasting destruction from His presence (2 Thessalonians
1:7-9). How could I possibly choose a fate such as that?
I have decided to follow Jesus. Have you?
In our next article on this subject we will answer the question: what does it mean to follow
Jesus? Please e-mail us if you have
any questions: mailto:prattmont@knology.net
