WHY FOLLOW JESUS?

 

 

Jesus said in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."  For two thousand years, many have read this challenge and decided to follow Jesus.  Why?  He made it clear that to do so means self denial, sacrifice, and obedience.  That is a heavy price, yet millions have made that choice joyfully.  Just take the "obedience" part.  What motivates us to obey the Lord?  In Psalm 19, David tells us of the great virtues of the laws of the Lord.  He explains the value in keeping those laws.  Galatians 6:7 tells us that we reap what we sow.  That is a pervasive truth of Scripture.  Almost every page of the Old and New Testament has that truth in one form or another. It means that positive actions, words, and attitudes have positive consequences.  Conversely, negative actions, words, and attitudes have negative consequences.  Therefore, it is logical and rational to obey the Lord's parameters.

 

Jesus gave us another motivation to obey the Lord.  In John 14:15 He said, "If you love Me, you will obey what I command."  He continues in vs. 21 saying, "Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me."  These passages and many others make the connection between loving and obeying the Lord.

 

So the conclusion to our original question as to why we follow the Lord is that following His leadings and words is the reasonable, rational, and wise way to live.  And we do it because we love Him.  That seems like two very good reasons.