My husband and I hiked a new state park recently. We put in about 8 miles, which is a lot for us. Even with snack breaks and a leisurely lunch by a peaceful, rippling stream, we got tired. With his bad knees and my bad back, one of us would sometimes lag. At one point I was in the lead, and I looked over my shoulder every few minutes to make sure he was still there and following me. I wondered if that is how Jesus looks at us? Does He look over His shoulder to see if we are still following? Have we veered off the path? Have we fallen far behind, slowed by exhaustion?
What does he expect from those that have accepted His invitation to follow Him? (I know, sorry- so many questions!)
Follow Me Bible Verse
Jesus said āfollow meā thirteen times in the Gospels. He used these two simple words to call Peter, Andrew, James, and John as his disciples:
āAs Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. āCome, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.ā Matthew 4:18-20 NIV.
āGoing on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.ā Matthew 4:21-22 NIV.
Jesus called Matthew, the tax collector, similarly:
āAs Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collectorās booth. āFollow meā, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.ā Matthew 9:9 NIV..
What Did Jesus Mean When He Said Follow Me?
Jesus was calling these men to leave their livelihoods immediately and to physically and spiritually follow him. Jesus was a Rabbi- a Teacher- and for Him to ask them to follow him in His travels and learn from Him was an honor.
The most excellent rabbinical students would never have left school to take a trade job such as fishing or tax collector. So for these men, it meant continuing their spiritual education with the Messiah himself! (Even if they werenāt exactly sure what that meantā¦)
When Andrew met Jesus for the first time, he spent the day with Him and then rushed home to tell his brother, āWe have found the Messiah!ā John 1:41 NIV.
All these men left their jobs at once; leaving their old lives behind. They didnāt pepper Jesus with questions or hesitate indecisively. They were āall inā to follow their Teacher and Messiah and commit to His lifestyle and mission.
Matthew Follows Jesus
Matthew was a Jew who collected taxes for the Roman government. It was a lucrative business, as tax collectors worked on commission. Many overcharged, and the Jews hated them.
The religious leaders considered tax collectors “unclean” because of their close contact with the Romans. Matthew possibly had the most to lose by following Jesus. Once he quit, there was no going back to tax collecting.
But for someone who spent his life feeling despised, to have Jesus call him to be a follower must have felt wonderful! It is entirely possible that Matthew had heard Jesus and his teachings or seen him perform miracles.
Either way, Matthew didnāt hesitate when called.
My Sheep Hear My Voice and They Follow Me
When the Jews asked for proof that Jesus was the Christ, part of His answer was, āMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.ā John 10:27 NIV.
Shepherds care for their valuable flock with a protective and sacrificial mindset. They sleep with them, feed them, and guard against predators.
Many times, different flocks spent the night in the same pen. In the morning, the shepherd would call to his sheep as he was leaving. They knew their shepherdās voice, and followed him, and only him, out of the pen into the fields.
We should be able to discern and follow Jesus’ voice, rejecting other “shepherds.” Only His voice brings us lasting peace, discernment, wisdom, and strength. Jesusā followers know He cares deeply for them, protects, and guides them.
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Come, Follow Me
It wasn’t just the 12 disciples who received the invitation to follow. We read in Luke 10:1 that Jesus appointed seventy two other followers to be sent out and prepare the way for Jesus’ upcoming visits.
We find another story of one man who received the invitation, but things did not go as he had hoped.
The Rich Man Who Wanted to Follow Jesus
Matthew 19:16-23
A rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked him āWhat good thing must I do to get eternal life?ā Matthew 19:16 NIV. Jesus pointed out that salvation does not come from doing good deeds.
Knowing the manās heart, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. āThen come follow me.ā v21. But the rich man loved his money more than he loved God and he left with a sad and heavy heart.
Jesus’ teaching to the young ruler was referring to the First Commandment: āYou shall have no other gods before me.ā Exodus 20:3. The rich young rulerās wealth was his god/idol. He wasn’t willing to give it up to follow Jesus.
Nothing should come between us and God. We should be willing to give up all we have if he asks us to.
What Does it Mean to Follow Jesus?
ā¢It is a personal decision of saying “yes” to His invitation. He will never force us; it is not a command.
ā¢Following Jesus means humbly submitting our entire self to Him. It means we undertake a radical change in lifestyle- just as the disciples did. We leave the old things of life behind when we recognize Jesus as Messiah and our personal Savior.
ā¢Following Jesus includes learning and applying his teachings through the help of the Holy Spirit:
āWe speak not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truth in spiritual words.ā 1 Corinthians 2:13 NIV
As amazing as it sounds, following Jesus gives us the mind of Christ! (v 16)
While we can never fully comprehend God, His Spirit empowers us (we could never do it on our own) and gives us His understanding and insights. It is fully possible to have this kind of an intimate relationship with Jesus when we consistently spend time with Him.ā„
ā¢When Jesus said āfollow meā it included knowing him and what He expects.Ā We do that by reading his Word and applying it to our own life. We spend time daily talking and listening to Him.
Because we are each unique in personality, our relationship with Jesus and the paths we follow will never be the same. But we each have an important role to play in his plan!
Following Jesus
The early believers were so loyal to Jesus and His teachings that other people knew for certain they were His followers. There was something distinct about the way they spoke, acted, and lived that showed others they were followers of Christ.
Itās something to think about when considering our own lives.
Do I love like he does? Jesusā own words tell us āBy this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.ā John 13:35 NIV.
āGod has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.ā Romans 5:5 (NIV). We have His power to love and serve others in His name!
Jesusā love was pure and sacrificial. Likewise, our love should cost us something. It may be in the form of material goods, but it also may be the sacrifice of extra patience, our time, etc.
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Following Jesus means following Him wherever He leads. It is living out an absolute trust in His judgement and plan for my life. Regardless of the hard situations that arise, my faith in Jesus tells me He is Lord of my life. All of it; the easy, hard and in between.
Come, Follow Jesus
Jesus still calls out today, āFollow me!ā When we accept his invitation, we attempt to walk day by day in faith and obedience.
We still sin; we will never be perfect. Some days will be easier than others.
Tough times will test our loyalty to Him. Ā He will, however, help us slowly transform into his likeness by the power of his Spirit and our willingness. (2 Corinthians 3:18.)
Our lifelong hope is that our lives will mirror the character of Jesus and show others His love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)
Following Jesus can come at an enormous price. We may lose friends or family members. Others may mock us as āmindlessā sheep instead of someone who hears their Shepherdās voice.
But when Jesus said āfollow meā, He knew your heart. May we be like Peter, who when asked by the Lord if he would desert him, replied, āLord, who else could we go to? You have the words of eternal life. We are convinced you are the Holy One of God.ā John 6:66-69 NIV.
Yes, Lord, I will follow you; there is no other way. Lead me on the path; I will follow!
Blessings!
AnnMarie
God continue to shower you with more wisdom and understanding. Reading this has inspired me .God bless you
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. You have been a blessing to me!
This is great! Do you mind if I use some of it n a Bible study? Keep being obedient and following Jesus. I am a writer and He gave me a poem called, “Come, Follow Me” I would like to share it with you sometime.
God Bless
Yvonne
You may absolutely use from this post; thank you for asking! I would ask that you give my blog credit for the information.
Please share your poem with me, I’d love to read it!
God Bless you-
AnnMarie
Awesome article. Absolutely appreciate it. Just so happens that this is the Pastoral theme in our Archdiocese this year. Came across your article just these past couple of days while I was doing a Google search on the topic. It has inspired me and I hope I have your permission to share this message. God bless you and your ministry.
Merwyn Rodrigues , Goa, India
Thanks so much! It always amazes me when God sends out His Word to those who are searching (Isaiah 55:11) š Yes, absolutely share what I have written. I do ask that if you use it in print form, however, that you include a link back to the post(legal issues.) God bless you in your ministry! AnnMarie
Thank you AnnMarie for writing this post. I was researching “follow me” topic for my own blog. It is very well written and great subject matter!
The Holy Spirit has been asking me to write for the past 6 months. Write what!? I am not a writer! And what do I write about?
Those complaints/prayers were heard and my “GO” is getting more and more clear.
https://coachh.substack.com/
Thank you for responding to your calling!
Have a blessed week and keep being a blessing to so many.
Thank you for the encouragement and kind words! When the Holy Spirit called me to write this blog, I had excuse after excuse. When I finally “agreed” to go to a writer’s conference in my hometown, I heard these words: “If you write, you are a writer.” We were also encouraged to start and continue to write because there are so many lonely, frustrated, and saddened people in the world. I also said, “What will I write about??!” and started writing out ideas on the back of an envelope. That quickly became sheets and sheets of paper! He has faithfully guided me every step of the way. God bless you in your writing endeavors!
To follow Jesus means to not only believe in him, but to follow and understand his teachings. The kingdom of God is within each of us, that is where you will find the Holy Spirit. We must enter as little children. Quiet the mind, open the heart and receive the gifts of spirit.
And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I love that verse! I’ve actually thought about writing a blog post on just that verse as it is so rich in meaning! You’ve inspired me!
Great article, superbly written. May it Bless many people.
Jesus asks us to follow Him so that He can teach us His ways; to nurture us; to watch as we mature. And then one day, when He knows we are ready, He will no longer say ‘follow me’. He will say ‘GO’. As in ‘The Great Commission’ (Matthew 28:16-20).
Bless you and your ministry.
Thank you so much for the encouragement of this ministry that God gave to me. That was my “GO” moment; having sat in Bible Studies year after year; taking in His word. He has guided me every step of the way, all the glory to Him! God bless you!
Thank you for putting this out there. I agree with your opinion and I hope more people would come to agree with this as well.
Praying that those He has chosen will say Yes to His invitation. š
Follow Me ,is the name of my ministry but in Spanish (siqueme)I love it and I love this article.Its broken down so beautifully .
Thank you šā¤ļø I will introduce it to my men
How beautiful! I’d love to check out your ministry, but I’m sure it’s in Spanish š Even so, yes, please share! That makes us partners in ministry together- to Him be all the glory!
I found this today after doing a Google search to see how many times Jesus said “Come, Follow me.” As that is what He is currently telling me to do and its a big part of my testimony.
Reading through this gave me such hope today as I will be sitting down with my boss to let her know that I need to cut down my hours so that I have more time to pursue the things He is leading me to be involved in with my church and so that I have more time to steward my home, my relationships and my marriage.
God is SO GOOD!!! How blessed are we that He knows just what we need to hear and when we need to hear it? And how AMAZING that when we pray for Him to open our eyes so that we can see what He wants us to see or hear what He wants us to hear, just how clear things can become!
Bless you for being a bright light for His kingdom!
Thank you so much for your encouraging testimony and words of affirmation! You will be SO BLESSED by following His call- I’m sure all of heaven is rejoicing! I was so scared of leaving my nursing career to start this blog. I knew absolutely nothing about how to start one. He has guided me every step of the way with His guidance, wisdom, strength and love and I know you will feel this too! It is amazing that here I am on my end praying for Him to open doors to His message, you are praying on the other end for clarity, and we meet here! Abundant blessings to you!
Am so blessed going through this. May God reveal more of Himself to you.
I am excited that God has given you this thirst for His Word! I so appreciate your encouragement… Yes, it is my daily prayer for Him to continue to guide and direct, convict and lead me as I serve Him! Thank you for that prayer!
grateful grateful that I am very grandfather just to know the father just to know that father have his children have been watching protecting angels blessing!! And using his children!!
His love and care for us is amazing, isn’t it? All praise and glory to our Heavenly Father!!
Thank you for sharing !!!!
You are so welcome! Thanks for reading š
Awesome word. Iām so encouraged! Thank you
Thank you so much for the encouragement and your kind words!
I am blessed with the article by AnneMarie. What I learned is when Jesus calls me to follow Him is He wants the whole of me and includes my job, money, family, be given to Him and to everyday receive guidance from Him. It does not mean I will quit my Job, give all my money, leave my family, but having and using all these valuable gifts for Him.
Amen and Yes, Daniel! Thank you for your words of great encouragement. You have blessed me today.
I totally need this today..š„°š„°š„°
God always knows just who needs to hear his love and encouragement š I’m so glad it found it’s way to you!