Thursday, July 23, 1998
Thursday, July 23, 1998
After this he said to him, "Follow me." (John 21:19
NRSV)
"Follow me," Jesus said. It was the same call he gave them at the beginning of their discipleship.
Do you know what that call was? "Follow me." This is his final instruction for them before he
leaves them. "Follow me." He is not sending them out to a hostile world alone. He goes ahead of
them. Like a commander leading his troops into battle. Like an explorer leading his party into the
unknown. He takes the first step, and those who would be his followers come after. That is what
gives Christian living its radiance, its joy, its reassurance.
Susan took one look at her friend's exhausted expression and cluttered office and said, "What you
need is a vacation!"
Her overworked friend asked jokingly, "Vacation? What's that?"
"A vacation," Susan explained, "is what you take if you can no longer take what you've been
taking!"
If you can no longer take what you are taking, try following Jesus Christ more closely.
Prayer: Dear God, remind me daily to follow more closely in the steps of Jesus. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA