What It Means To Follow Jesus

 

… anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

—from Matthew 10:38

In writing one of my blog posts, I often use the phrase “followers of Jesus.” Recently, I received an email that asked me if I could more precisely define what I meant by that term. So, I’m going to try to do exactly that.

Literally, a “follower of Jesus” is one who endeavors to find out as much about Jesus as possible:

• What Jesus had to say.
  
  
• How Jesus would act.
  
  
• What core principles ruled Jesus’ life.
  
  
• What instructions Jesus might have given to His disciples—His followers.
  
  

Armed with this knowledge, a follower of Jesus will then attempt to:

• Speak like Jesus would speak.
  
  
• Walk the road of life in the same manner that Jesus did.
  
  
• Treat others like Jesus did.
  
  
• Develop the same core principles for life that Jesus developed.
  
  

A follower of Jesus is literally emulating the life of Christ, within that person’s own reality.

Jesus often gave us clues in Scripture as to how He expected His followers to live. For example, please take note of this passage found in Matthew 10:38-39:

And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The cross of Calvary was the greatest burden the Lord Jesus Christ had to bear. For on that cross, He bore the sins of all humankind, paying the penalty for our sins. In a similar manner, every human has a cross to bear in life. It begins with the sin nature we inherited from Adam, and continues on as we sin purposefully in our own lives.

In these two verses from Matthew 10, Jesus is telling us that to follow Him we must pick up our cross and walk in the way He would walk. He also shares an important truth, when He reminds us that only by losing our lives—that is, giving Him control of our lives—will we find out what life is really all about.

We can only know life, as God intends it, when we consciously put aside our own selfish wills and seek to allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to control the way we live. Therefore, it makes sense, at the beginning of this new day, that we should do just that. Are you with me?

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Directed Footsteps

 

Direct my footsteps according to your word …

—from Psalm 119:133

In the course of my 60+ years of working in fire protection, I have only once encountered an Instruction Manual that I thought was written in a very helpful, detailed, yet easy-to-read style. Sadly, the company and the personnel who produced that Manual—due to changes and market forces beyond their control—has passed from the scene. I still have a copy of that Instruction Manual in my files. It is truly a work of art, yet highly functional at the same time.

The problem with even excellent instructions is that if a user does not follow those instructions carefully, the user will often do something that totally defeats the most effective use of a product or service. That’s why diligent reading, study, and application of properly stated instructions go hand in hand.

As followers of the living Lord Jesus Christ, we Christians—or, “Christ’s-ones”—need to follow the leading of God in our lives. Fortunately for us, God has given us instructions in the full counsel of His written Word, the Bible.

Yes, I know that some Christians do not believe the Bible is inerrant, that is, without error. Others seem to have decided to pick and choose from this Scripture passage or that one, in order to construct a “God” more to their liking, or political agenda, or personal sensitivities. Such actions always deeply sadden me because apparently they have done so because the vision of God that they created for their lives ultimately did not live up to their preconceived notions.

The truth is that God has given us quite adequate instruction through every verse in Scripture. Each verse will inform the pathway of our lives, if we but trust in the words and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within each one who truly believes. The Psalmist understood this concept. Notice what he prayed to God, as recorded in Psalm 119:133:

Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

As we begin a new day, let’s pray this prayer of the Psalmist. Then, let’s open our eyes, hearts, and minds to see what God will do in response.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Tongue Control

 

The lips of the righteous know what is fitting …

—from Proverbs 10:32

The words we speak can either heal or hurt. Jay Wickre, writing in the Dubious Musings of a Peculiar Man, ¹ offers these wise words:

A bitter man needs to place his troubles on the front of his tongue so that they taste sweeter.

As an observer of the behavior of various people who have crossed the pathway of my life, that statement rings true to me. Yes, words can either heal or hurt. And, we who speak such words have the power and responsibility to control the effect our words have on others. King Solomon understood this. Notice what he writes in Proverbs 10:32:

The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

The natural question arises:

“Does our speech properly reflect our state of righteousness? Or, do we continue to utter inappropriate words at inappropriate times?”

Please let me offer an illustration:

I remember an occasion in a work meeting many years ago. I had asked a question, in frustration, because I couldn’t imagine why the others in the room seemed so unable to grasp the concept the individual was sharing. My question drew a sharp retort from another at the table.

Fifteen minutes later, following a lengthy intervening discussion, during which I remained silent, another person spoke, filling a pause in the discussion. He said:

“I am finally catching up with where Dean was a while back.”

He went on to perfectly explain the concept that the others in the meeting still had not grasped.

I thought about that incident a great deal over the next few days. I realized—and I believe this is a gift from God—that, in certain circumstances regarding very concrete topics, I tend to grasp the concepts much more quickly than many other people, who may well be even smarter than I am. So, I learned from that experience to try to hold myself in check when such circumstances arise.

Sadly, as those who must still interact with me realize, I fail to do what I intend to do—guard my tongue—far more often than I succeed. When it comes to specific tasks or factual discussions, I am ruled by my own impatience.

Now, if the topic had involved human emotions, or social situations, or any of a large number of other topics, I would be the one lagging behind. I am very ignorant when it comes to understanding the nuances of social relationships. Therefore, you can be certain that, in those situations, I will tend to keep more quiet.

As we begin a new day, we do well to check our speech to see if it reflects the righteousness that God has given us through His Son, Jesus. We must guard our tongues, so that we only speak words that are helpful, encouraging, and healing. And, we must purposefully cast aside all words that might hurt others.

 

______________________

1 Wickre, Jay. Dubious Musings of a Peculiar Man. Self-Published, 2011. Please note that in each case, whenever the citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Best Followers

 

Surely goodness and love will follow me …

—from Psalm 23:6

Have you ever had someone show so much interest in you that they just wouldn’t leave you alone? It wasn’t that they had any evil intent. It was just that they seemed to enjoy your company so much that they would hardly give you a space to breathe.

I am told that in the early stages of many male/female relationships, women often feel that their latest love interest has started to overwhelm them, even suffocate them. The man might have good intentions, wanting to show his devotion and the magnitude of his interest. But, smothering someone and following that one relentlessly, whom you are trying to spark a mutual relationship, almost never works.

On the other hand, there are some qualities in life that we may long to have following us. King David expressed this well at the end of his famous Psalm, specifically Psalm 23:6:

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Having laid out the blessings of a relationship with God in the earlier verses of this Psalm, David brings this song of praise to a conclusion by declaring the benefit he derives from everything else he talks about in this Psalm 23.

As we launch off on another new day, let’s pray and ask God to grant us these two “followers” in our lives. Let’s welcome God’s gift of goodness and love. Then, let’s share those gifts with the people who cross the pathway of our lives.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Table of Blessing

 

You prepare a table before me …

—from Psalm 23:5

Psalm 23 is possibly the most well-known passage of Scripture. It contains a lovely cadence that unfolds a beautiful pastoral image of the Good Shepherd caring for His beloved sheep. Among the many extraordinary images of this Psalm are these words, found in Psalm 23:5:

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Even though we may be surrounded by the powers of darkness that seek to destroy us, God always prepares a feast of blessing for us. He anoints us with a protective covering, that consists of the blood of His precious one and only Son, Jesus. He grants us the divine indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. Thus, God guards us and guides us, as we obediently follow His leading each day of our lives.

As we begin another new day, we should remain aware that the enemies who would confound us have no power over us because Jesus has conquered sin, death, and Satan. We can go forth this day into the world, with full confidence that God has laid a table of blessing for us. In fact, the blessings from God flow into our lives continually.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Desires Granted

 

What the wicked dreads will overtake him …:

—from Proverbs 10:24

The guest speaker at the convention of adult training experts caused a hush to fall over the room, as he began with this question:

“How does a person get what he or she really wants in life?”

The guest speaker paused for several long seconds. Then, he continued:

“You just take it!”

A few people began to applaud. Soon, the entire room full of people had risen to their feet to give the guest speaker a standing ovation. But sadly, the speaker was wrong—very wrong.

The only true way to get what one wants in life does not come from a preemptive taking. It comes from living a life worthy of receiving from God what one desires. And, only through faith in God, and obedient devotion to Him, can any human hope to live a worthy life and receive the gifts God longs to give. Notice what King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:24:

What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted.

Righteousness precedes the granting of desires. Obedience to God’s will and to His written Word gives a believer the opportunity to receive from God the desires of that person’s heart.

As we begin another new day, let’s determine to follow the pathway of obedience, knowing that it leads to us receiving the deepest desires of our hearts. When we live totally in sync with God’s perfect will, His desires for us become our desires. And, that’s the best possible place for us to be in this life.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Price of Belonging

 

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself …”

—from Luke 9:23

Every organization worth belonging to has its own dues structure. It costs something in time or treasure to belong to anything or anyone truly worthwhile. The question each person who belongs must ask himself or herself:

“Is the price of belonging worth the benefits I receive?”

Belonging to God through His Son, Jesus, has a price, as well. Notice what Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 9:23:

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

To deny one’s self means to set aside an individual’s selfish human will and yield to God’s perfect, divine will. We are only able to do this through the enablement of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to set aside our natural human will and follow the pathway that God lays out before us through His perfect will and through His written Word.

As we begin another new day, we need to renew our intention to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. As we do so, we have the opportunity to be more like Him. We can speak as He would speak, act as He would act, and do what He would do. By becoming more Christ-like, we have the opportunity of truly serving the Kingdom of God in the most effective way possible.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}