Lou and I attended a beautiful wedding in Colorado a couple months ago. Giselle is Lou’s niece and we had so much fun being with everyone. I thought… this young couple is just starting out in life. They have years ahead of them (they are both strong Christians). After Mason finishes his residency, they are planning to move to Alaska (where he’s from) and open up their own clinic… Mason as the doctor and Giselle as a nurse. Pondering this, I thought… they are just starting out and I’m close to the finish line – staring eternity in the eyes.
I thought… I want to finish strong. I think every Christian wants the same thing. So, I asked myself… What is one of the most important things you want to be doing in these final years before meeting Jesus? The answer? I want to keep following Him. I want to walk with Him every day, never venturing too far from His side. But then I had to ask… Why? Why do you want to follow Him? Well, Jesus confronted His followers with the same question in John 6.
It was shortly after the great miracle on the mountain where Jesus fed 5,000 with a little boy’s lunch. If it amazes us, imagine how it amazed those who were there. After three days of following Jesus and listening to what He had to say, they were hungry. It seems that most of them didn’t bring food… they probably never thought they would be here three days later. But one mom handed her son some food before he headed out for the day (that’s what moms do). And then Jesus performed one of the GREATEST miracles of all… He satisfied their hunger pangs with an AWESOME miracle. Shortly thereafter, He disappeared.
They wanted more so they went looking for Jesus. When they found Him on the other side of the lake, Jesus made a bold statement: “You follow me because I fed you.” In other words, their motives were wrong. As the story goes on, Jesus gave them a hard teaching… “Any true disciple of mine will eat my flesh and drink my blood.” In other words, following Me won’t be easy. This statement caused many to leave – to walk away.
It may seem silly to ask… Why do I follow Jesus? But each of us are confronted with that question. Does Jesus make my life better? Absolutely! Easier? Not always! Does Jesus do incredible things for me? Yes! Has Jesus fed me, clothed me, and taken care of me? Of course! But are these the reasons why I follow Him? As I pondered this… I had to be honest in my answer. After many left on this day, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave” (John 6:67)? Peter responded, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give life. We believe and we know you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).
Peter hit it on the head… We follow you because You are the Son of God! We follow You because of WHO You are, not because of what You do for us. So, let me ask you… Why do you follow Jesus? Do you follow Him because He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE? Do you follow Him because He is the GREAT I AM? Do you follow Him because He is the LIGHT? Do you follow Him because He is the BREAD OF LIFE? Here’s the thing… I want to follow Him no matter what. I want to follow Him in the difficult, the hard, the struggles. I choose to follow Him not just on the mountaintops, but also in the desert. I choose to follow Him because He leads me to the Father. I hope that you will become a TRUE follower of Jesus. The kind of follower that doesn’t walk away when things become too difficult. Let these words encourage you today.