This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands…This is how we know we are in him: The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked. (1 John 2:3, 6)
We were meant to follow, not lead. We were created to follow behind and not in front. We were not destined to be the leader, but the disciple. Yet so many life choices and daily decisions are dominated by — self. Now God’s intention for you to follow and not lead, does not mean you are never supposed to take a leadership role in certain areas of your life. The Bible makes it clear that servant-leaders are needed (Mk. 10:43). But genuine leaders genuinely follow, namely, Jesus Christ.
Do you know how so many Christian leaders get involved in moral failure? The type of moral failure that crushes their family, ruins the trust of their church, and destroys their reputation. Do you know why this often happens to Christian leaders? It’s because they stopped following. It’s because they defined their identity by their success. It’s because they thought they arrived. They may not have said it aloud, but they believed they didn’t need to follow anymore. They became the leader.
We can place this harsh critique only on Christian leaders, but we fall into the same mentality. We can often stop following Jesus and become the ultimate leader. We can live self-governed and autonomous lives that replace Jesus. This is why the Apostle John says the person who is a genuine believer is a genuine follower. That is a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle John says that your life is meant to be guided by Jesus’ commands. Your daily decisions are meant to mirror Jesus’ life. John calls Jesus’ disciples to walk as Jesus walked. In other words, we are to live with the same kind of compassion, purity, generosity, love, and obedience to God the Father that Jesus lived out. To follow Jesus means to depend on the Holy Spirit that he sent to dwell within his people. The Holy Spirit does not replace you, but the Holy Spirit enables you to do what you could not do on your own. In order to keep Jesus’ commandments and walk as he walked, you need to live as he lived on earth, and that means being fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit to enable you to do what you could not do on your own (Lk. 4:14). You need the Spirit’s help!
You follow Jesus when you lean not on your own understanding but on his understanding, that is, his commands. You follow Jesus when you acknowledge him in all your ways by spending time in prayer before you make the necessary decisions needed to be made today. Have you been taking the lead more or following more? What is something Jesus is calling you to trust and follow him on?