Follow The Leader

Most of us grew up playing the childhood game “Follow The Leader” and never gave it much thought in a philosophical or theology sense. We played the game because it was fun but as we got older, we put away such activities for more responsible things not realizing just how important of a role that this “game” would play in our adult lives.

This was just as true for me even after joining the ministry but God has continued to open up windows for me and allowed me to see things through His eyes and an important lesson that all Christians have to learn at some point is that we must follow the leader. After all, as Christians, our lives are supposed to be centered around God and his word and His word tells us to follow the leader: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

When we decide to follow Christ, we are to do our best to immolate His life and this is very difficult to do as Christ did set the bar very high. Christ was a servant and a very good servant, indeed: “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). When we look at those in power, we see a very staunch distinction between those in worldly power and Christ who was King of Kings but yet, He lived to serve: “So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them. Know ye have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well: for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord: neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them (John 13:12-17).

Too many times I have been in a church building or around a group of believers who looked down on others and there have been times when I have been guilty of this. The walk that we are on is one that continues long after we accept Christ which is why we must stay in prayer with Him and keep our faith up and when we remember that the King of Kings washed the feet of others and walked with sinners then it’s a very humbling experience. This reminds me that regardless of what I have or do not have, I am no less than nobody but I am also no better than anyone else which is a principle that we must cherish: “ [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3),

Christ gave us an example in which we are to live by and follow and this example involves humility and a clear heart: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” (1 Peter 5:6). This is not always easy and it never will be but it does get easier for us if we allow for God and His word to take over but even with God, we can still succumb to pressures and temptations which is why we must never forget our humble beginnings and think too highly on ourselves or our position, status, and/or fame upon this Earth: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).