Encouraging Word
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said a requirement to being a disciple was to follow Him. To follow means to go behind, to move in the same direction as someone, to accompany someone on a journey, and to pursue. I believe four things are necessary to follow Christ: faith in Christ; focus; forfeiting your will; and faithfulness.
1. Faith in Christ. You must place your faith in Christ (John 3:16). This means you repent of your sin and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15). You receive Jesus Christ as your Savior (John 3:3) and Lord (Romans 10:9, 13).
2. Focus. You also need to focus on Jesus. Focusing is directing your attention toward a specific object or goal, looking intently, and concentrating on it. Hebrews 12:2 says,“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” To follow you must both concentrate on and move in the same direction.
3. Forfeit. To follow Christ, you must forfeit your will. To forfeit means to give up something, to yield, submit, or surrender. To follow Christ, we can’t go our own way. We surrender our will to Jesus. We pray the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane,“Father, not My will, but Your will be done.” Jesus is our guide, and we follow His path.
4. Faithfulness. Following Christ requires faithfulness. Being faithful means to be loyal, reliable, steadfast, and unwavering. Being a follower of Christ means to be committed, dedicated, disciplined, and determined.
The goal of following Christ is to become more like Him. Romans 8:29 says that God’s will is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Let me encourage you to be a Christ follower. Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
-Tony Cooper
Director Emeritus of Jimmie Hale Mission
