Follower

…the Lord’s loyal followers.

Psalm 15:4

 

Come, follow me.

Matthew 19:21

 

“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not recognize the stranger’s voice.

John 10:3-5

I am a follower of Jesus.

This, among all other choices, distinguishes my life. In the early days, after the promised Spirit of God fell on the people, bringing nations together in awe and power and prayer, the word Christian communicated the sacred secret they all shared. But today, in many cultures where I follow Him, the label has lost its holy hush. It demands explanation.

We are sadly living in a time where words, those living, organic power units that give life or death when they are spoken, must be clarified. What we say may not be what is heard and understood. We who follow Jesus in Spirit and in Truth and have been redeemed by His blood must bear the responsibility of clarifying what we mean and who we are because of Who He is.

I am a follower of Jesus. Jesus is the gate. He is the door to life. He has opened the Way to life for me and you. He calls to me, and I know His voice because He is mine, and I am His own. I follow Him, because I know His voice. He calls to me, and I go and come freely through the gate He has opened for me, and I find green pasture because He has prepared it for me. His intention for me is a rich and satisfying life. I trust Him. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

There is another voice, and he is a thief and robber. He looks like a shepherd, for he is wily and devious. Yet he does not go in through the gate. Rather, he climbs over the fence and seeks to steal from the sheep. I run from his voice because he is a stranger. My Shepherd’s voice, however, is kind because He is gentle and humble in heart. I follow His voice into freedom and goodness all the days of my life.

Discernment between the Shepherd and the thief is paramount. Who I listen to is who I follow.

I am a follower of Jesus. Who do you follow?

Lord, in a world of shifting words, I will listen for Your voice and follow You. Amen.

@audreycfrank

 

Photo by Julia Weihe on Unsplash