"Come, Follow Me"

The Spirit calls me this morning. I hear Him say, "Come, follow Me". It's not that I haven't read those words before or even heard them in my ear, but in this season of "death", dying to my self and personal "expectations", those words have even deeper meaning than ever before.

When each disciple heard those words there was a decision required. For Peter, James and John, the call to follow Jesus took them out of their fishing boats and away from their "occupation". They were career fishermen, leaving everything they knew how to do.

Months ago, the Lord took me to Joshua 3:3-4. When the Children of Israel were about to cross over the Jordan into the "Promised Land", the Lord gave Joshua the order to tell the people, "when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God"...move out and follow..."then you will know which way to go since you have never been this way before."

The operative word is "follow". The Lord calls us to follow Him, not "write your own script, blaze your own trail, dictate your own part in the play".

When Jesus first called the Disciples, He was visible. He lived with them, and modelled Holiness in human form. He led them and they chose to follow Him. Now, and ever since He returned to His original Glory Seat, we have had His indwelling Presence in the form of the Holy Spirit to lead us.

Jesus said to His Disciples, "Come, follow Me". Now, the Holy Spirit of Christ says to us, "Come, follow Me. Leave your old ways, your old aspirations, your old goals for yourself. Let Me lead you and come, follow Me".

Christ in the flesh was rejected and ignored and Christ in the Holy Spirit can also be rejected and ignored. It's hard to imagine how "Majesty" can be ignored but we do it every day.

"Come, follow Me" brings a decision requirement and for each one of us. It will be a unique and individual act of obedience. We must leave the past, leave the familiar and walk into a whole new idea of "purpose".

For me, "Come, follow Me" means I am being asked to leave the familiar and venture off with my Lord into an unknown future here on earth. It is exciting and fearsome all at the same time. The one thing I do know, is that I am not equipped nor expected to lead. I am at last finally learning how to follow.

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?