Follow the Leader

Follow the leader: surely most of us remember playing that as a kid. It is a game we begin in toddlerhood and truthfully never really stop playing. The leaders change and the line following may not be such a literal one, but it is one of the games we learn as children that we never cease to play. The path we were led around our grade school playground becomes a metaphor for our professional lives as we emulate those who’ve found financial success in the business world. Our childhood attempts to imitate the “goofy walk” are replaced by our attempts to imitate the intentional steps of a successful marriage we admire or the methods of parenting which seem to succeed. For those of us who claim Christ and identify ourselves as believers, we say we follow Jesus and our lives (not simply our mouths) should bear this out.  I find myself asking the question: does mine?

I have clear recollections of my 7-year-old self as part of that follow-the-leader line, contorting in Quasimodo-type fashion, dragging one leg, desperately trying to copy the increasingly complex amblings of the one in front. I’m sad to admit that there have been many times when I put more effort into looking like a fool on the playground than following Jesus and His plan for me.

How do we follow – practically, I mean? How do we plan our lives under His purpose? How do we make decisions through His wisdom?

Like Peter at the last supper I have proclaimed “I would follow you even unto death!” But then someone posts a rude comment on Facebook, and I want to reply (and not in a godly way). I become frustrated with a complex family situation and want to retaliate for the hurts my family suffers at the hands of those who are self-centered and thoughtless. I want to put people in their place, defend myself, demand my version of justice, go my own way and get what’s owed to me…not exactly a picture of following Jesus, is it?

But how often have I done those things, justified each of them in my mind and then asked God to bless me and give me strength, either through the thing or, more often, as I try to manage the fallout of something I know deep down wasn’t something God would have had me do at all.

WWJD

Years ago there was a movement complete with bracelets and coasters and wall plaques emblazoned with this abbreviated reminder – What Would Jesus Do.

While a wonderful way to approach the struggles and situations that life throws at us, the critical part of this is actually KNOWING: What WOULD Jesus would do?  And how do we know?

I believe the answer lies in these words spoken by our precious Savior: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice...  =  Time in the Word

A recent study indicates that only 19% of Christians read the Bible every day. That leaves 81% of us who claim the name of Christ just not finding a way to fit His Word into our daily lives. 81%. Imagine the radical shift in our lives as believers if we were to make our time in the Word not something we just “get to if I have time,” but rather the things we do first and make some of those other things we always seem to find time for the “stuff we get to if we have time.” Turn off the TV. Turn off the computer. Pay less attention to what our friends are saying on Facebook and more attention to what God says in His Word. Imagine how that would impact our churches, our Bible Studies, our families...

Take it a step further and imagine what it would be like if we as believers couldn’t WAIT to get into God’s Word because we were just so hopelessly in love with Jesus. What if our gratitude for His work on the cross and His relentless pursuit of us was so real, so overwhelming, so powerful, that reading the Bible every day wasn’t a matter of checking some box of daily “have to’s” but rather that we simply couldn’t imagine anything more important than spending time with Him and reading what He has to say to us.

Do we dare to ask ourselves: "Does that describe my relationship with Jesus?"  And if not, why not?

Because when the creator of the universe who engineered everything from a garden slug to the intricacies of climate that sustain life, when THAT God loves you so much that he willingly DIED for you, that’s beyond awe-inspiring. How do I walk away from THAT God and say “yeah, Lord, that’s nice and all…but, before I get into your Word, let me just see what everybody is sayin’ on Facebook…first let me catch up on the latest episode of _____....first let me...”   

Really?

Somehow time in the Word gets squeezed out by all that other stuff we'd rather do.

And as for "What Would Jesus Do?" - without a steady diet of His Word, it is all too tempting, even unintentionally, to recast Jesus into little more than a kinder, gentler version of ourselves.  Unless we actively seek Him through the pages of the Bible, our efforts to know what He would do in any given situation are little more than biased assumptions made through a lens of our own preferences and prejudices.  What Would Jesus Do becomes little more than “’What would I do’ on a really good day.

Be in the Word. Every single day. Not because you’re “checking the box.” But because it is the love letter from an Almighty God who loves you relentlessly and died for you. And He has something to say to you.

...and I know them...  =  Prayer

Prayer is the privilege of having a conversation with our Heavenly Father.  Of sharing our hearts and our hopes and our fears and our lives with our Lord. And of giving Him the opportunity to speak to us as well.  When Christ says "I know them" it isn't a matter of knowing our names and our lives - He knows that of everyone, whether we've ever come before Him in prayer or not. Rather, it is knowing us as His.  When I belong to Jesus, prayer is part of identifying myself with Christ, and it needs to be a priority.

I have to admit, until very recently, this one has been a challenge for me. I pray at meal times, I pray at Bible study (of course), I pray when my friends and loved ones are struggling with something difficult (also, of course), I pray when things in my life are in the toilet (definitely, OF COURSE) but setting aside time every day to talk to God as consistently as I talk to my husband…not so “of course.”

I also began to realize that I have often spent a great deal of time thinking about struggles, decisions or challenging situations (mulling over my options, considering different courses of action from a practical perspective, even justifying my intended reaction), but very little time actually praying about them, all the while deluding myself that they are one and the same.

The difference between thinking about something and praying about it is simple, but significant:

• Thinking leaves my hand firmly on the thing, held by my predetermined intentions to either follow through with a certain course of action or toss it aside.
• To pray over that same decision is to take it before the Lord in a very intentional way (often more than once), lay it on the alter and truly relinquish my rights to it.

So much easier said than done.

So much easier to think about it, and call it prayer.

Whether in crisis or in a place of serenity, prayer should be a part of our daily lives as believers simply because Christ both modeled it and His Word clearly expects it of us.  As I've become more purposeful in my prayer time I'm amazed at how the Lord has created in me an attitude shift: it has become a privilege for which I am grateful rather than an obligation which burdens me with guilt when I fail.

A word of caution:  While it is impossible to over-emphasize the importance of making time in the Word and prayer a daily priority, beware of the temptation to turn it into a legalistic requirement.  Seeking God daily should be done out of gratitude for Christ's work on the cross, inspired by the love God has for us expressed in the sending of his Son.  When we turn it into a "box we check" the focus can easily shift from what God has done for us to what we are doing for God.  The danger here is two-fold: First, we can find ourselves embracing a "works" mentality whereby we think doing these certain things contribute to our salvation, make God "like us more" or keep Him from being angry with us. Secondly, creating a mental list of "everything we are doing to live a Holy life" can lead to pride or comparing ourselves to other believers.  Combat that with acknowledging the supreme sacrifice made by the Almighty God that allows us to lay claim to any holiness at all. Paul says clearly "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

...and they follow me.

Follow the leader - even the playground version – is a matter of focus. If our eyes aren’t firmly on the one who is leading, we can’t hope to follow his direction, much less imitate his behavior.   When it comes to our lives in Christ, we can't follow Him unless we know Him and knowing Him comes only through time with Him, both in the Word and on our knees.   But ultimately following Him and treading firmly in His footprints is only possible when we are motivated by love.  Not guilt.  Not fear.  But love.

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

I follow Him because I love Him.  I love Him because I am getting to know Him.  And I am getting to know Him because I seek Him day after day, overwhelmed by His continuing faithfulness and the knowledge that He loved me FIRST.  While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me.  And you.

Is anything else more worthy of our time?