Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
We are continuing Jesus’ instructions to those who follow Him. I call all people to Myself in Jesus. And I call you all to be disciples.
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” Luke 12:32.
When Jesus called His disciples what did He say? He gave them the definition and instructions of how to be a disciple of His in two words, “Follow Me.”
What does it mean to follow Him? Same as it means for anyone, that you let Him be your guide and your compass. It means where He is, there you will be. It is true He is not present on earth for you to physically follow after, but He is My Word made flesh, so the equivalent of following Him physically is to follow Him by the Word. In other words, just what He told you, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself clearly to him.” John 14:21.
That is the way you follow Him. But do you know His commandments? Yes, they are the same as Mine for He only spoke My Words, but they are realized new in Him. What did He tell you His commandments are?
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:10-13.
And who are your friends that you are to lay down your life for? Let Jesus define it, but first let it be said that friends are not those who are hostile to and persecute you.
“You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another. John 15:14-17.
Friends are those who know and agree with you. Friends are those who have love for you and a place in their heart for you. Friends are of a like mind. But Jesus describes who His friends are and His friends, if you are following Him, should be your friends too. And they are the ones who keep My Word and bear good fruit that is enduring.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35.
The friends you lay your life down for are fellow believers and followers of Jesus, My Word. Not those who love the world and the things of the world, for love of the life of empty show is not from Me.
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17.
So how do you know Me and follow Me? By following My Word.
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:3-6.
And there you are. That is how you follow Him, you walk in the same manner as He walked. In other words, you imitate Me and walk in love. I think in love, talk in love and walk in love. Everything other than love is foreign to Me and cannot enter Me. Make it the same with you and be blessed. How do you think in love?
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:7-9.
My apostle Paul wrote this under the inspiration of My Spirit. He said to practice this as they had seen him do. What was he doing? He told you, “Imitate Me as I imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians11:1. He took every thought captive to the obedience in Christ.
And this is what a follower of Jesus does. He imitates Christ and walks obedient to My Word. Be quick to act on the Word.
A disciple walks by faith and not by sight and faith works by love.
And now let us return to the time when Jesus was instructing the twelve after He first chose them for the inner circle of the twelve:
“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33.
And that is walking in faith by love. You choose Jesus and you stick with that no matter what opposition or scorn or persecution arises because you know what He has done for you and what you have in Him. The one who is forgiven much, and I have paid your judgment and taken your sentence from you by the merits of the finished work of Jesus on your behalf. Never let yourself deny that. Your eternity depends upon it.
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. Matthew 10:3-5.
If you have been following Jesus, this should not surprise you for at some point you will experience it. But YOU should be ready. And always remember death and life are in the hand of your tongue. Do not speak against your own best interests. My Word is the light to your path and the lamp to your feet. It will keep your eyes clear to the good.
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:37-38.
Never let another person become so huge in your life that you will sin against Me to keep their favorable opinion of you. Or it could just be you fill the responsibility of sticking with them when you should not. That was Jonathan’s downfall that cut his life short and lost his destiny, he stuck with his father Saul and supported his cause though he knew David was right.
Also when Dathan and Abiram sinned in the wilderness and tried to take over the positions of Moses and Aaron, the ones I had chosen, I told Moses to warn the whole congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin.” So they got back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents, along with their wives and their sons and their little ones. As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. Numbers 16:25-32.
In keeping My Word there is great reward. And others will benefit from your selfless love as well. I will bless those who bless you and curse the one who curses you (the devil).
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
I love you. Follow Me. Those two words hold your eternity in them.