Many people endeavor to follow Jesus, but most end up expecting Him to follow them. Whereas in the beginning we surrendered our lives to Christ, the way we live day to day is more like inviting Him to follow us on our quest to grab our dreams and accomplish our goals. When times get tough, it’s great to have Jesus by your side. Just in case we get into a bind, there’s nothing quite like having the Son of God show up and rescue you from your troubles. Once back on solid footing, we are quick to reassume the lead and relegate Jesus to a secondary position, with Him presumably just waiting to be summoned when we need Him.
That’s not what it means to follow Jesus. In fact that’s not following at all. God is not a God of convenience; He’s a God of preeminence. He is to be worshipped, revered, and served. We should be in awe of His magnificence with every breath and step we take. He is above all. He defers to no one and submits to no authority. Jesus is truly the all in all. He needs nothing, but gives everything. How dare we elevate ourselves above Him? Who do we think we are? Without Him, we are unequivocally broken; we are nothing.
Following Jesus means sacrificing all that we have and all that we are. Anything He places in our hands must be returned to Him by using it for His service. If He has blessed you with the ability to sing, sing for Him. If He has blessed you with the talent to write, write for His glory. If He has blessed you with business savvy, conduct your affairs so that others may benefit from your profits. Whatever skills, talents, or passions with which God has uniquely gifted you should in turn be used in service to Christ, so that you might glorify Him. Glorifying God simply means that your actions will bring honor to His name. Whatever you do should magnify His greatness.
That God has chosen to partner with us in building His Kingdom boggles my mind. I don’t know why He set things up this way, but how amazing is it that we have been given such an opportunity? Every day we have the extraordinary prospect of joining arms with the Creator of the Universe in order to impact our world with His love. For everyone aspiring to live a life of significance, it doesn’t get any better than this!
But here is the catch: in order to fully participate in such an amazing adventure, we must follow Him. We cannot reverse that order. The moment we start putting Jesus in the “tag along” position, we are compromised and the mission is lost. This life is not about what we can achieve or accomplish. It is about bowing our knee to the King of the Universe, submitting to His authority, and working to accomplish His mission. This is the only path to significance, joy, and fulfillment. He is the way, the truth, and the life. We get all of this if we will simply follow Him.