Following In His Footsteps - Part 4

Luke 9:23 (Phillips NT)
23  Then he spoke to them all. "If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, he must give up all right to himself, carry his cross every day and keep close behind me.

Most other translators interpret the last part of this verse as, "Follow Me."

That simple phrase has captured my heart for most of my Christian life. What does it look like for a man or woman to follow Jesus? What does it mean to keep close behind Jesus?

Churches are chock full of people chasing their own dreams and desires. I wonder how many have any intention to follow Jesus? We follow alright. We follow Jesus to our religious gatherings. We follow Him to service projects and short term mission trips. We follow Him to camps and revival meetings. We follow Him to Christian bookstores and conferences.

Can we honestly write our lives as a blank check to Jesus with our signature and say, "I will follow wherever You lead." In talking to a retired physician recently he said, "Christians are looking for the minimal they have to give or do for the Lord." I respect Dr. Eckert and his wife Nancy. They have faithfully served Jesus for decades. They are both in their eighties now but they still open their home every Sunday night for a Bible study. Brenda and I were privileged to sit in on many of those studies and stay as guests in their home.

Following Jesus has meant more than words to the Eckerts. Here is just a sampling of what following Jesus has meant over the years. After getting saved they relocated to be closer to their church family. They opened their home to new believers. At one point I think they had close to two dozen people living with them. They love people. They love with more than words. They love with their lives. Dr. Eckert opened a faith medical clinic in inner city Houston. He treated patients without regard to financial compensation for several years. He treated his patients spiritually as much as medically. They gave at least one home away at the Lord's instruction. Yes, you read that right. They gave their home away. They took many mission trips. And they are still following.

I think what has inspired me most about them is what they are doing now. Several years ago Jesus called them to uproot from Athens, TX and to go to Corpus Christi, TX where they have planted their lives and ministered to the body of Christ at large for the last several years. They did not have any relatives in Corpus Christi. No. They had the call of Jesus to follow Him there. They gave their house away and relocated. For the past several years they labored, prayed, and discipled the body of Christ in Corpus Christi. Brenda and I were privileged to meet them several months ago. We still stay in contact with them. Only God knows how much money they have given away over the years. The Eckerts have stayed close behind Jesus. They have followed. They continue to follow. They set the example for the rest of us.

Is there a willingness to follow Jesus in your life? It doesn't matter where He leads. If He is truly Lord in your life and mine, if He is truly Master, we should be willing to follow Him anywhere. We should live in relation to Him, ready to obey, to love, to give, to serve and to go.

One of the things I love about this last statement Jesus made in Luke 9:23 is that it is open ended. Before we commit to follow we want to know the end destination. Jesus does not acquiesce. He just says what He said to the disciples in the beginning, "Follow Me." "Stay close behind Me."

I don't know what that means for your life. I cannot even say I fully know what it means for Brenda and I. Following Jesus is an everyday journey. It is adventurous. It requires faith. It necessitates a closeness in our relationship with Jesus so we can discern and follow His leadership. It means surrender. Even when we get older. Jesus did not say, "Follow Me until you retire. Then sit back and take it easy until I call you home." Following Him means following Him all our days and everyday. It means living available to Him. It means staying close behind Him following in His steps. May He strengthen us and grant us courage to do this.