To Follow

Wednesday, ‎December ‎28, ‎2022

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: Matthew 11:28 New King James Version

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Memory verse: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Readings: ZECHARIAH 5-8 REVELATION 19

To Follow

Once, a man said to Jesus, "I will follow you anywhere you go". (Luke, chapter 9)

Jesus did not tell the man what a good package he offered. He did not offer the man great working conditions with wonderful creature comforts. Jesus simply said, "I don't have a place to lay my head" (to call my own).

If we are to follow Jesus, we must know we are at God's mercy all the time. What we do, where we work, what we wear, what we eat-all comes from the hand of God. Some folks cannot see this at all. So, they spend each day, week, and month trusting in the world-this 'pseudo' security is what the whole world chases-this is how the world lives.

Zechariah 8:23 ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.”

No questions-no stipulations-no conditions-just, "We want to go with you because of what we have heard about your close relationship with Almighty God."

Following God does not mean necessarily that we must follow someone who has a Godly reputation. It does mean we follow God and are a working part of the body of Christ. If that means we follow a strong leader or teacher by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, then great. But comfort in this world is not promised. We are promised an abundant life(John 10:10) in Christ.

This abundant life is a big life with our great God carrying us through great trials and great healings-great victories and deep defeats and miraculous recoveries. It is abundant in every way-spiritually.

Many do see great wealth but many more live triumphantly in abject poverty and under heavy persecution and/or oppression.

So where do you lay your head? Jesus had no 'place'--the question should be "Where do we lay our hearts?" I believe Jesus wants us to see this in what He said. It is not where we lay our heads that matters-it is where we lay our hearts.

To follow God, we must place our hearts in His heart and then it will not matter where we lay our heads because God will lead us in the right path.

But to follow means more than lip service. It means soul-service-heart and mind service. It means surrender-total surrender.

We are finishing a calendar year-but-we are starting a new day.

Live this day in earnest surrender for Jesus...

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me my lip-service and harden my resolve to live for You, alone, as I learn to hallow Your name.

Merciful God of grace and peace!

In the name of Christ Jesus

Amen