Follow the Leader

 

 

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

John 12:26

When you were little, did you ever play, Follow the Leader?
When you play follow the leader, you have to mimic the movements and the steps of the one who is in the front of the line. Sometimes you might have to do some crazy things, but in order to stay in the game - you must follow.

Who is a leader in your life?
Is your leader a helper - a guide - a teacher?
A true leader leads by example and through influence - not through demands.
Each of us has the perfect example of a leader to emulate and to follow:
God - Our Father.
 

God wants to be our helper.

He is our true teacher.

He wants to be the guiding force in our lives.

He is our leader. 

And He will use a variety of measures to reach us.

 

With Adam, He created Eve - Man's Helpmate.

With King David He sent Nathan - a King's conscience.

With Mary - He sent an Angel to deliver the Good News of the coming Messiah.

With Isaiah - He brought the prophet to His throne room to deliver His message.

 

God wants us to listen to His voice.

He wants us to wait upon His direction.

He wants us to follow His plan.

He wants to lead - we are to follow.

 

He never intended for us to be lone rangers. He has given us a pattern to follow - true leadership that inspires. He has given us countless additional leaders to reach out to for support, guidance and accountability. And He wants each of us to offer the same kind of leadership in support, guidance and accountability to His other children.

 

He loves you.

He wants you to have a life that is abundant.

He wants you to share the love He has for you with others.

That sharing of love - living in commune with others - has always been a part of His plan.

 

We were intended to be partners with each other and followers of the one God, Our Father.

 

He is the best leader to follow.

He knows all the right moves.

 

Scriptures

Psalm 81:13-16

 

 Quote

“God created the law of free will, and God created the law of cause and effect. And he himself will not violate the law. We need to be thinking less in terms of what God did and more in terms of whether or not we are following those laws.”

Marianne Williamson



You're Gonna Have to Serve Somebody...

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Bob Dylan - Gotta to Serve Somebody

It isn't always easy to follow God - to serve God. The path we follow as God's servants can often be rocky, winding and narrow.

We don't always get what we want. We aren't always going to be the most popular or well liked. We won't always be the best or the brightest. Serving God can be a long and treacherous road.

The road of the world often seems easier. People you know who put their own interests first and who have little regard for others often appear to gain the most success. We can begin to envy what people who do not serve God have: their fame, their wealth, their clothes, the significant others, their "trappings of success". From the outside looking in, their lives seem picture perfect and they get to sleep in on Sundays!

You might start to question, "Why am I struggling to follow God, when the rest of the world seems to have it so easy?"

You have a choice - you either follow God: love Him, serve Him, and follow Him; or you follow the world and strive for the things of this world which will hold you to her.

The world offers you fleeting success, wealth and fame for your service.

God offers you eternal life, salvation and unconditional love.

You can either be trapped by your service to the world or freed by your service to God.

The choice is yours on who you will serve - but know you will have to make a choice.

You are going to have to serve somebody...

It might be the devil or it might be the LORD, but you are going to have to serve somebody.

Scripture

Joshua 24:14-15

¹⁴ “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Quote of the Day

Faithful servants never retire. You can retire from your career, but you will never retire from serving God.

Rick Warren - Saddleback Church

Question of the Day

What is the hardest part about serving God?

Click on the link below to read all of the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody"

http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/gotta-serve-somebody