Letting God Lead Devotions #18 – What Does Following God Look Like?

Scripture: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15

Examination: Jesus is speaking to His disciples during His last Passover supper with them. In this chapter, He offers them assurance as to who He is, His expectations of His followers, and the promise that they will be comforted by God’s Spirit despite what the future holds.

Application: God leads us through His Word. When we seek to follow Him, questions often pop up where we wonder if we’re doing what He wants us to be doing. The answers are always found in the Scriptures, but sometimes it takes a focused search to find them. Most of us are familiar with the “10 Commandments”, which were given to Moses by God (Exodus 20), but they don’t always help us in specific situations… or so we think. The Jewish people had over 600 laws they needed to obey in order to please God!

In Matthew 28, Jesus seems to have simplified the commandments when he gave us the two greatest commandments upon which He stated hinged all the other commandments. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:28-30). Sounds simple, but it really isn’t. It’s not as easy to live love as Jesus did. Therefore, we have many other verses that spell out in greater detail how we can manifest the love of God in our lives.

Here are a few of those verses.

• Read the Bible daily for guidance.
  • “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” – Joshua 1:8
  • God’s Word teaches us what love looks like in the person of Jesus Christ. Along with the instructions the Scriptures provide, we have the perfect example in God’s Son in whom we can model our own lives.
• Attend church services to encourage and edify others.
  • “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25
  • Serving God can be as simple as gathering together with other believers. Your presence, your smile, your warm hugs can be so encouraging to others who may be in need. Additionally, church attendance places you in an environment where you can learn more about God’s love for you and how you can, in turn, share it with others.
• Pray for the needs of others.
  • “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” – Ephesians 6:18
• Put your faith into action.
  • “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” – James 1:22
  • The Bible makes it clear that faith without works is not a living faith. God instructs us to help others, to support the ministry of His church, to pray for others… and so much more! We don’t have to do it all, but we do need to do something!
• Tell others about Jesus.
  • “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” – Matthew 28:19
  • Remember that Jesus is coming soon. If you knew He would be here today, would you be more fervent in telling others about the Saviour? Guess what? He really could come today!
• Be kind and forgiving toward others,
  • “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:32
  • Harboring grudges against others is destructive. It definitely hurts you more than anyone else. Forgiveness is liberating and restoration of one’s spirit is so worth it!

There are so many other verses in the Bible that lead us in following the Lord. This year, spend time in the Scriptures finding ways to bring yourself closer to God as you follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Memory Verse: “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” – Psalm 119:34

When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word,
What a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

(from “Trust and Obey” by John H. Sammis)