Following Jesus

Beth Mims
Apr 22
4 min read

On Sunday, we read Matthew 16:24 –

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

On Monday, I watched a movie about settlers heading west who had to leave behind their beloved possessions to make the journey. In it I saw a vivid illustration of hard choices and dying to self as people turned from the life they knew to become pioneers – pilgrims – and move toward a better land. They cried and mourned, but they moved forward, denying themselves. A musician left his beloved piano. A blacksmith left his anvil. None were wrong to carry. They were important, but they were heavy. Too heavy to make the journey. They weighed their wagons down, so they were discarded along the trail. The pilgrims continued with tears toward the goal. The goal was worth the cost. The goal was worth the pain. There was no turning back.

All I could think about as I watched was Matthew 16:24. “If any man will come after me (Jesus), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

We are often so cavalier about the idea of Christianity and following Christ. Just accept Jesus as your Savior and go to Heaven. We seem to take for granted His great sacrifice, and we think little of anything that we give back to Him.

It’s true. Salvation was bought and paid for at the cross. There is no lingering payment due. No outstanding debt. Jesus paid it all with His own blood sacrifice. When we come to Him in repentance, He washes us clean from sin.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8 – 9, KJV).

We can stand on that promise for eternity. But we fail to keep reading. Christ did not save us to leave us to wallow in this world. He saved us to follow Him, and if we keep reading we see that.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, KJV).

God has a plan for each of our lives, and that plan is all wrapped up in following Jesus. Which takes us back to Matthew 16:24. If we are going to follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. What does that mean?

When we deny ourselves, we consciously choose God’s way over our way. I may want to speak harshly to someone who is unkind to me, but God says, “a soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). I may have a critical spirit, but God says “be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

My cross is myself – my flesh and the trials that I battle daily as I follow the Lord. Each day, I must lay myself at His feet and commit myself to His service, asking for His cleansing and help to follow in His way, for it is impossible to follow Him in my own strength.

As I walk with Him, there may be things that He asks me to leave behind. They are not always things that are wrong in themselves, but they weigh me down and become more important to me than Jesus. Anything that is more important to me than Jesus is a weight that must be set aside, and that can hurt.

Like those pioneers in the movie, we are pilgrims in this land, and we are on a journey to a better home. We must travel light, holding gently to the things in this world, to avoid being bogged down. Hebrews 12:1 tells us

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

And we must depend on the on the One who has gone before us to lead the way.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:2 – 3, KJV).

When I trusted Christ as my Savior, I did not leave Him at the altar in the church. I followed Him out into life, and I have been following Him ever since. He changed the course of my life, and this journey with Him has caused me to jettison a lot of baggage along the way. I know there are still miles to travel and rivers to cross, and I anticipate losing a lot more stuff before I reach my home, but I will reach it safe and sound.

The goal is secure. The journey is set. I am following Him.

Father, forgive me for the times that I have taken following You lightly. Times that I have veered from Your way and walked my own way. I want to walk close behind You, stepping in Your footsteps all the way home. Keep me on Your path, Lord. Only You can do that. Thank You for loving me always. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Following Jesus

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