Follow the Leader

One of the favorite games children play on the playground is “Follow the Leader.” You remember playing it right? One child shouts, “follow me!” and everyone lines up and does exactly what the first child demonstrated. Run up the slide, climb down the steps, jump on the tire, etc. However, just a few moments into the game, another child tries to take the lead. All the children begin to think that their ideas and routes are better. Before you know it, the game ends and everyone is a bit upset because nobody is following them. Everyone wants to be the leader.

Really we push leadership on everyone today, don’t we? If you walk into the bookstore, even a Christian bookstore, you will find dozens of books on leadership. How to become a leader, the effective habits of a leader, leading a team, and the list goes on. These are excellent books. Yet not everyone can be a leader. Not everyone is gifted in leadership. Not every idea is a good idea.

It becomes evident when the one child finally gets his chance to lead the group and he has no idea where to go. He tries to remember what somebody else did, but then becomes dependent on what others think. Soon the other kids are yelling, “this is boring! Let so-and-so lead!”

It’s not so different in life. You hear all the time that you are to be a leader, but then when you get the opportunity you don’t know where to lead. It becomes frustrating, scary and some just give up. “Why can’t I just follow?” Where are the books telling me how to be a good follower? If someone is leading, the others have to follow, right? Help me do that better, cause I don’t want to lead.

In reality, you have to be a good follower if you want to be a good leader. The best leaders are the ones who remember what it was like to follow. They remember what motivated them, what frustrated them and then they lead in such a way to bring others along with them. It’s called followership. After all, you are not leading if no one is following. What are you following?

The beautiful thing about Christianity is that you do not have to be the leader! We are all called to be a follower. Follow Jesus Christ, do what He does and say what He says. The pattern has been set; it is your joy to follow. Notice how I didn’t say, “job,” but “joy!”

Knowing and following Jesus is a privilege, not a job. However, it is hard work. He does not lead us down all the easy paths, but there is a great cost in following Him! What we do not realize is that we think we are following Jesus, but we are just one of those kids running around doing our own thing and nobody is following. We have made “following Jesus” into our own game and in reality it looks nothing like what Jesus has called us to.

The question is, are you going to stop doing your own thing and join in the one true journey?

Bearing the Cross of Self Denial

Although Jesus attracted great crowds with His miracles, His teaching caused many to stop following Him. You see, the Gospel is simple, but it is not easy. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-26 that if you want to follow Him, you have to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him. What in the world does that mean?

This does not mean that you grab your gold cross necklace and wear it everyday. It doesn’t mean wear your Christian t-shirt. The call to take up your cross is a call to die.

Consider what the first century crowd would have thought. See, crucifixion was not a distant event that the occasional drama or provocative movie to them. It was a very present reality. Crucifixion was originally intended to torcher and kill the worst of the worst criminals. Over the years, it became a very compelling device to dissuade any rebellion.

They would walk the main roads possibly seeing friends and family members hung by crosses. The Romans did not put the crosses on hills far away, but on the main roads where everyone had to walk by and see the humiliating and painful death. They would have seen the humiliation of many who had to carry their cross down the public roads, stripped naked and beaten, only to suffer the indignity of dying in a public place.

Jesus’ command to deny self and take up their cross would bring very vivid pictures to their mind. This is death row. This is acknowledging that this game of follow the leader has no place for pride and there is no return.

To obey Christ call, you must daily strip yourself of pride, arrogance and die to self. You must live in such a way that causes people to see that you no longer belong to yourself, but to Jesus.

Kingdom of God

We get so caught up in our own pride and trying to take care of ourselves, that we begin to create our own path. We worry about what people will think about us, what are the popular styles, what we are going to eat (or not eat). We are caught up in the latest fades. Our Christianity becomes our own creation.

But to follow Jesus, denying ourselves and carrying the cross, is to look to Jesus first. It is to seek the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Jesus is not calling you to destitution and poverty. He is promising that He will take care of you. Our motivation is that we get Him. We are His children, part of His family and He will give us our needs.

Looking to Jesus everyday, gives us strength to deny self and follow Him. Looking to Jesus allows us to forget ourselves and imitate Him. Remember what He endured for us, should motivate us to joyfully surrender and join the eternal line of faithful followers. As we do, people will see our lives and glorify God in heaven.

Our New Desire

John the Baptist is one who really got it. He gave up everything to proclaim the Good News of Jesus’ arrival. He was a spectacle to some, a radical to others and a voice of hope to others. He saw crowds come to hear him, and kings arrange to meet him. Yet his perspective was continually, “I must decrease that He might increase” (John 3:30).

His job was to point others to Jesus. Through his voice, his life and even his death, he wanted others to know Jesus. His humility and love for Jesus became the testimony of his life.

He demonstrated to us what it means to deny self, pick up a cross and follow Jesus. Are you a Christian? What does that mean to you? Can you say that when people look at your life, your desires and your passions they would see Jesus?

You have to understand, that Jesus’ call to deny yourself and pick a cross daily was not a command only to the few super spiritual Christians. It is not only to the pastors and missionaries. It is the call to every Christian. It is His call to you!

Jesus does not want mediocre followers. He doesn’t want you to be half in and half out. He does not want you leading your own little game on the side. He wants you all in or all out. The choice is yours!

The cost is great! Deny self, empty yourself of pride and follow Jesus. The clear sign of a disciple is one who thinks of themselves less and more of Jesus. Who or what are you following?