Justin March leads the Bethany Lutheran Church Men’s Ministry and sends a weekly email message to the Men’s group every week.  Justin has generously permitted us to post his weekly reflections here.

“Will you follow me?”

We seem to live in a world where we are always following something. We follow roads, trails, and paths to reach our destinations. We follow rules that are set by our parents, government, schools, employers, and police forces. And in these days of social media, we even find ourselves following others to keep up with their lives and latest happenings.

But what happens when Jesus comes to us and says, “Will you follow me?” Do we throw everything else aside? Do we accept his invitation knowing it may upset the way we live our lives? Or do we want to follow him but find it difficult to fit anything else into our busy schedules?

I hear you loud and clear when you tell me life is hectic. I understand how the days can get away from you when work, family, and everything else this world throws at you consumes the day. And I empathize with you when many days seem to be so draining that all you want to do is lie down and let it all go.

“Will you follow me?” Jesus continues to ask us this question no matter how busy we are and push him aside. He longs for our friendship, love, and devotion. He wants us to walk with him, converse with him, and share everything we are doing with him. Yet, we seem to ask for his patience, his forgiveness, and his understanding when we just don’t have time. We make him wait. We cry out in times of sorrow and pain, but we get comfortable when things are going well. And sometimes it becomes easy to forget about Jesus as we bury ourselves in our busy schedules.

We are fortunate to have a gracious God that allows us the freedom of choice. We are fortunate to have a patient God that is willing to wait. And we are fortunate to have a loving God that has, is, and will do anything to save us all. So, as you start your week and the schedule gets hectic, try to take a few moments each day to follow Jesus. Take some time to pray, take some time to enjoy his presence, and take some time to listen to what he has to offer. You will find your life enriched, empowered, and enabled with every step. You will find yourself to be more forgiving, loving, and gracious to those around you. And you will find that the path Jesus is asking you to follow leads to things this world cannot offer.

“Will you follow me?” Jesus is calling. The question is, how will you answer?