"Running Or Following?

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

The Lord's desire is that we follow Him. His requirement for those who put their trust and faith in Him as Savior is that we follow Him. When He chose His disciples, His words to them were, "Follow Me". His desire, message, plan and requirement for us today has not changed. It is the same- "Follow Me".

I have a question for you, "How can you follow Him and run from Him at the same time?" You can't. It is impossible to follow someone and run from them also. To follow them means you are going in the same direction they are going, and moving toward them. Running from them means you are going in the opposite direction and away from them.

We think that only sinners run from God. We think that only those who are not saved and born again are the ones who are running from God. We tend to think that those who aren't His children by faith in Jesus Christ are the only ones who are running from Him. That isn't necessarily true. When we are "running" from the will of God, we are not following Him. When we are "running" from obedience to His commandments, we are not following Him. When we are "running" from His plan for our lives, we are not following Him. Jonah was God's prophet yet he stopped following God when he ran from God's plan for him to go and preach in Nineveh. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was faced with the decision to follow God or run from Him. "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39)

As I said earlier, you can't follow someone and run from them at the same time. It is just not possible. So this morning, are you following the Lord or running from Him? Are you following Him in loving obedience, in surrender, in self denial? Are you following His will and purpose for your life? Or are you running from Him by following your own dreams and plans? Are you running by putting your own desires above Him? You can't do both.

Have a great day. Are you a follower who is following?

for further reading:
Matthew 8:22; 9:9; 19:21
John 1:43; 10:27; 21:19
Jonah 1:1-3
1 Samuel 15:11