Who Are You Following?

by Tim Howard

How many of you have ever played “Follow the Leader” as kids?  The rules are simple. You pick a leader; everyone gets in a line behind Him or her and tries to imitate whatever he or she does. I’ve always thought that’s a pretty cool picture of what it means to be a Christian. You simply follow Jesus! Go where He tells you go, say what He tells you to say and do what He tells you to do.  The W.W.J.D. is a good thing to ask when you are making decisions of any nature. What Would Jesus Do?

Following Jesus is a recurring theme in the New Testament. The apostle Paul wrote: Follow me as I follow Christ.  When Jesus called His first disciples he said: “Come, follow me,” and as they followed Him their purpose and perspective changed. As Jesus walked along, He saw Levi sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed Him. He ultimately became the one who wrote the first Gospel in the New Testament. Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself or herself and take up their cross and follow me.

Following Christ will change you for the good – People follow many leaders but not all leaders are worth following. If you are looking for a mentor or someone to follow make sure you’re looking for the right thing.

Character is more important than charisma. Someone may look impressive and their rhetoric may sound persuasive but without character, they will lead you in a direction you should not go. When I read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 and use the word, character rather than love, I understand what Paul is trying to communicate in this passage. Here’s what it says:

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t have character, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all His mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t have character, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t have character, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without character. True love will reveal true character.

The same Apostle sets forth a standard for leaders who are worth following: A leader must be well thought of in the community. Cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He or she must know what they are talking about and not be overly fond of wine to the point of drunkenness. They must not be pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned nor money-hungry.  He or she must handle his or her own affairs well, because if they can’t oversee their own lives well, how can they lead others?

Do you notice the Apostle Paul doesn’t talk too much about skill, abilities or talents? Not because they are unimportant but because without the essential quality of Character a leader worth following will never develop.

Jesus fits all the criteria above and more. That’s why I follow Him. He is worth following! Who are you following?