We are called to follow Jesus but how does it look like in everyday life? What does it mean to follow Jesus and how could we do it in the midst of everything? Following Jesus all day long is our goal but how to do it, right? Let’s see what we can come up with.

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. ²⁴ For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake, he is the one who will save it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God]. (Luke 9:23-24, AMP)

We are to set aside our selfish interests to follow Jesus. That is the opposite of what the world tells us: follow your dreams, create your life. Yet we are told to set aside selfish interests. How on earth can we do that without seizing to live, you ask.

Billy Graham has said, “When we come to Christ, we’re no longer the most important person in the world to us; Christ is. Instead of living only for ourselves, we have a higher goal: to live for Jesus.” So if we want to be following Jesus all day long, we need to put him first throughout the day. This requires a bit of thinking, doesn’t it? Do you put Jesus first all the time?

Following Jesus all day long

Okay, you say, show me how to do this, how following Jesus all day long. Well, the first thing, of course, is the attitude of our heart. When we want to put Jesus first, we live for Jesus and not for ourselves. But here is a simple model of following Jesus all day long:

1. Start your day by seeking him in the morning. Pray and read the Word ofGod, ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to understand what is the will of God for you for that particular day.
2. Throughout the day put obediently your faith in practice. Obey, serve, love, and live as Christ would live if he were you.
3. At the end of the day celebrate Jesus and worship him. Do remember to thank him and praise him for being there for you throughout the day.

Life is not about us even though that’s how we often see things. Instead, life is about Jesus in us. When we have surrendered our lives to Jesus, we are not the commander of our lives anymore, God is. This does not mean we stop living. Instead, it means we live for Jesus with gusto.

Gracious God,
Thank you for sending Jesus to save us.
We surrender to you, we want to be truly yours.
Show us how to follow Jesus all the days of our lives.
Help us to seek you, obey, serve, and love you.
And don’t let us forget to thank you and praise you.
Because you are more than worthy.
Fill us with your Spirit and empower us to live for you.
In Jesus’ powerful name,
Amen

P.S. Do you put Jesus always first? Are you following Jesus all day long?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live for Jesus!

Photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash.