Follow Me!
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. John 1:43
Read 1 John 1
How would you react if what happened to Philip happened to you? We read in our text that the Lord Jesus found him and simply commanded: Follow Me.
Maybe you think to yourself: Is this even possible? Can the Lord Jesus give a command so a person immediately obeys and begins to follow Him? Of course He is able to do that! We should not doubt this at all. When you leaf through your Bible and come to the second half of 1 Peter 2:9 we read there: That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. This means people can be called out of their native darkness by the Lord in an instant. People’s situations and personalities can be very different, yet all people have one thing in common: By nature they all walk in darkness.
What about you? What is your situation? Are you like Abram who first served idols? Has the Lord Jesus also called you? Did He command you to become His disciple? Did His Word pierce your heart, so that, just like Philip, you could not refuse the Lord’s command? That is necessary. Look at John 8:12. There the Lord Jesus spoke the following words: I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. That implies that if we do not follow the Lord we are still walking in darkness. We read what this means in Psalm 82:5, They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness. Is that also true of you?
Thought: God calls sinners out of their native darkness.
Psalter 52: 1, 2 (based on Psalm 23) Thou, Jehovah, art my Shepherd, Therefore I no want shall know; In green pastures Thou dost rest me, Leadest where still waters flow, And when fainting, Sweet refreshment dost bestow. For Thy Name’s sake Thou dost guide me, In the paths of righteousness; Tho’ I walk the vale of shadows, Fears my soul no more oppress; Thou art with me, With Thy rod and staff to bless.