DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- FOLLOWING JESUS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- FOLLOWING JESUS

"My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me." (Psalm 63:8)

There are all kinds of followers. Followers of Muhammed, followers of Krishna, followers of Buddah, followers of Kant, Freud, or Marx. It indicates adhering to a certain Person or philosophy. Christians of the First Century had the moniker, "Followers of the Way," because they followed the teachings of Jesus.

David, the Psalmist, walked close to God. He did not veer from the path nor follow at a distance.

It is so easy in our Christian walk to wander off the path that Christ is walking. We see another patch of grass that looks greener and we are drawn aside. Or we get so involved with the duties and struggles of life that we allow distance to develop between us and Jesus.

Walking close to Jesus has the advantage of being near Him so that when we stumble, His right hand upholds us. When I am walking at a distance and stumble, I fall hard, not because He is not there to help me, but because I am slow to call out to Him for help.

When I am following Jesus, I have the confidence that He is going before me. He is not following me, but I am following Him. Because He is before me, He knows what my path will be and I can trust Him. Sometimes He leads besides the still waters, and sometimes He leads through the valley of the shadow of death. But either way, I can be assured that He is there because I am following Him closely.

The hymn-writer wrote: "Follow, I will follow Thee, my Lord, follow every passing day. My tomorrows are all known to Thee. Thou wilt lead me all the way." I want to follow Jesus closely.

Love, Dad