First StepsSample

What it looks like to follow Jesus

Following Jesus is a lifelong process. You are now a believer, and a Christian shows that you’re not perfect but trusting the perfect One. Every day, you will need God’s grace and mercy. Following Jesus means the more we draw near to Him, the more we will see our imperfections and see His perfection. Because we love Him, we will want to become more like Him every day.

Your journey in following Jesus will not be easy. There will be days when you feel like nothing has changed. There will be days when you feel like you’re not growing spiritually. There will be days when you feel like you are not a good Christian and following Jesus. You might wonder how long you will struggle with this sin (2 Corinthians 12:7) and why you can’t seem to move past the “baby steps” in following Him. Please know it is okay to feel that way, and you are not alone in your journey.

I remember attending an annual summer conference and seeing one of my friends as a teenager. So much had changed in a year – he was taller, looked much older, had a mustache growing, and his voice had completely changed and gotten deeper. I was very surprised at how much he had changed, but he and his family didn’t understand our surprise. They had seen his change every day. I was much more able to notice the change because I hadn’t been with him for a year.

The Christian growth looks like this. You can’t see how much you’re growing in the moment, but over time you will look back and say, “Praise God that I’m not the same person that I used to be.”

Although we will never be perfect, God calls us to follow Him. As we study the Bible, we will continue to learn how to follow Jesus. The Bible calls us to die to ourselves daily by laying down selfishness and sin and choosing to follow what Jesus says every day.

You will never regret a life of following Jesus. He will take you places no person ever could. He will bless you and cover you. He will give you lasting fulfillment. There is nothing like a life of following Jesus.