Devotionals

Jesus said: follow me!' What happens next?

by Henry Jaegers
08/08/22
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Jesus said: follow me!" What happens next?

By Henry Jaegers

Part one

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BCGqWBvhhDVjhpocPu6jGB8Ih-Xp43A-/view?usp=sharing

It was just two simple words spoken by Jesus, that caused men to leave that which was near and dearest to them, which resulted in a topsy-turvy, and the upside-down world, full of confusion and misunderstanding, to be turned right -side- up with the promise of new hope and happy, abundant life hereafter. That, we might reason is the gospel, in a nutshell, put very simply. But none of that is as simple as it may appear. Following Jesus begins with a response, and the way that we respond determines the outcome.

What was it in these two words that caused these men to do what they did, not fully understanding what such a response would involve? Did these words contain some type of magic that overpowered their ability to think,  and they acted totally out of the emotion they had, for the moment? We don't have the answer to this. All we know is that Jesus said "all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and he that cometh to me I will nowise cast out". So, behind the call of Jesus is the call of God that enters into the heart of man and causes him to make a commitment to which he has no specific details of the outcome of that commitment.

Remember Abraham? It happened to him. God called him and he went, not knowing where, why, how, or what would be the outcome. He trusted only in the faithful word of the God who could not lie and was faithful to perform that which he promised. Abraham simply took God at his word and acted without question upon what God said. Oh, that we might have that kind of faith like Abraham had. That is why he was called "the father of a multitude" when at that time, there was no possibility, humanly speaking, that it could ever happen.

So, I end this short devotional with this question. "Have you heard those two words from Jesus "follow me?" How have you responded? After all these years, after you first heard him call, are you still thinking about it? Then what about those of you who responded to that call? Do you have a story to tell? Or, better yet, do you have a biography about which you can write?

A verse that comes to me often is found in Acts chapter 10:15, 16. God had called Ananias to be an answer to Saul's prayer but Ananias was willing to do so with some reservations. What God said to Ananias caught my attention. Consider these words:

But the Lord said unto him, go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Isra-el:  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake

 Then I often wonder if Ananias told Saul these words at the outset; do you think that he might have faltered in his pursuit to follow Jesus? E

more and more I am coming to realize the wisdom in Jesus when calling us to follow him one step at a time. Looking back over these past 60 years, when I think about it if I knew beforehand what lay before me, what would have been the outcome of my life? I recall a picture in the hospital where I worked and there was a caption in that picture with these words "the journey of 1000 miles begins with one step." Although these words were quoted by a follower of the Buddha, he probably received them from Jesus.

Following Jesus is not without many difficulties. First is the difficulty of human ambition. We want to know what's in it for me before I take the next step. Second, it hinders the plans I have set for myself. There is so much more to say but I will close with this.

When I was in Bible school, one of our visiting missionaries said something that I never completely forgot. He said what lessons,  that  Jesus hanging on the cross, bring to our minds? First, he is not looking back. Second, his focus is straight ahead, and third, he has no plans of his own. We will follow up on that next time.

Jesus said: follow me!" What happens next?

Part Three

The Man on the Cross: He is not looking Back!

Have you ever considered the importance of not looking back? It's something that we often do subconsciously and sometimes it is necessary, but when we spend most of our time doing so, it often causes distraction and leads to discouragement, and halts progress. Focusing on our past successes, and failures as well hinders us from making important decisions. Some of us can look at the past and see some of the things we have achieved and we look back with pride upon them. Compare them with what is happening today. As you view your present state, do you see nothing significant taking place?

What about your testimony? Does it consist of something that happened to you 10 or 20 years ago, and when you share it with others, is that all there is? What about your Christian experience? Is it History or is it News?

I sat in a Sunday school class one day and heard the teacher ask the question "what causes a person to backslide?" I do not think by the tone of her question that she had an answer. Immediately there arose in my mind the answer, “We must focus on front-sliding. If we are helping Christians to grow properly, and we are teaching them the word of God for it to make sense, progress, not backsliding will take place.

Aren't you glad that God doesn't remember our past? Whenever we are forced to focus on our past life, remember it is Satan who brings up all the dirty laundry and causes us to be depressed over our lack of progress. But God says, regarding our past sin, it is forgiven, forgotten, removed as far as the east is from the west, remembered no more. God's word always results in progress; Satan's purpose is always to kill, steal, and destroy, he offers nothing to us that will contribute to our ultimate happiness.

I recall the time when Jesus came to the fig tree and was hungry. He sought fruit but found only leaves. I recall the words of the gospel song, "nothing but leaves for the master; oh, how his loving heart grieves. When instead of the fruit he is seeking, we offer him nothing but leaves. That's what looking back does. It hinders progress and causes us to be satisfied with the way things are.

In closing I recall the words of Paul the apostle in the book of Philippians when he said "forgetting the things that are behind, I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus by whom I have suffered the loss of  all things, and count them as dung, so that I may win Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

 The man on the cross is not looking back! Are you?

"Jesus said: follow me!" What happens next?

Part Four

The Man on the Cross: His focus is straight ahead.

And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which is at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:61, 62)

Have you ever wondered what the man had in mind when he requested Jesus to let him go back and bid farewell to those at home? I notice first, that he was a volunteer. Volunteers usually work for short periods and usually, it is without compensation. But does it make sense in the context of this, that Jesus was looking for volunteers? Being a volunteer means that it's okay for short periods and that will be fine.

I recall a hymn that we sang quite a while back and it said something like this: “A volunteer for Jesus, a soldier true: Others have enlisted, why not you? And it ended with the question, “Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?” Somehow or other, I cannot help but think that whoever wrote this song didn't understand the verse quoted above.

Then the thought occurred to me, why was it necessary for him to go back and bid farewell? Our minds could go crazy trying to figure that out. Maybe by going and bidding farewell, he would get their praise and congratulations for being such a self-sacrificing volunteer. Then again, maybe he thought someone might talk him out of this decision. Or maybe, he was expecting to have a party bidding him farewell on his journey? Whatever the reason that there may have been, Jesus knew full well that he had other plans after his endeavors as a volunteer were through.

I attended a church at one time, where a confirmation class for certain groups of young people was conducted. Upon completion of the class, their graduation was called "their Confession of faith!" But I heard no testimonies concerning faith in Christ and a commitment to follow Jesus. What happens later was a great party along with many gifts, congratulating these young people on their completion of this course of study. Is that what it means to follow Jesus?

Suppose Jesus had this same idea as to what his purpose was. Because Jesus was the son of God, it did not mean that he did not struggle with this human side of life. Imagine, as he prayed in the garden in great agony, knowing fully what lay before him, decided that it was not worth it all. Why should the son of God have to go through all of this for a bunch of people who could care less? Suppose Jesus followed through on these thoughts. Do you think that temptation did not come to him? Think about those words that he prayed "Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." Do you think that maybe for a moment that there could have been another way in the mind of God? But his answer was immediately from his lips "nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."

But there was only one focus in the mind of Jesus. It is not focused on what it would cost him and how others might respond. His focus was straight ahead his purpose was to make it possible for us to have eternal life by giving of his own life. Jesus said, "no man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. So, we close with this word: Jesus said, follow me." What happens after that is not ours to consider. Follow Jesus, then wait to find out the answer.

"Jesus said: follow me!" What happens next?

Part Five

The Man on the Cross: He has no plans of his own

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do (John 17:4)

Suppose Jesus decided to retire from his ministry. This morning as I began this devotional, my mind was drawn to John chapter 17.  It is true, the high priestly prayer of      Jesus, and as I carefully contemplated its message, I wondered how anyone was ever allowed to put this chapter into the Bible.

Just as no one but the high priest was allowed to enter into the holy of holies, now we find Jesus alone with his father in the same place. And I cannot help but think that God wanted this here for us to read and think about carefully.

I must confess, after reading this, that I am full of shame that I have not given more careful attention to this marvelous chapter.

Do you know what I discovered? Did I discover something that has never occurred to me before? It is that Jesus prayed for me in that prayer. For me, Henry living in the year 2022.

These are the words that have caught my attention in verse 20; “neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

then the thought came to me as I have heard said before, suppose no one ever told me? Could this prayer ever be fulfilled?

As I am getting older, I think about those words of Jesus. "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do".

So, the question I am closing with is this: when do I plan to have my retirement party?

The man on the cross has no plans of his own. Do you?

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