Matthew 19:27

“Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’ ”

There is a right way and a wrong way to follow someone. If I am indeed following you, then I must trust you enough to follow genuinely. It is not followership to follow and yet have my own opinions and perspectives. It’s like boarding a flight and expecting to instruct the pilot where and how he should fly the plane. True followership demands implicit and explicit trust in the knowledge and reliability of the leader, and that is why we must be careful of whom we follow.

The disciples modeled what true followership meant. Peter said, “We have left all and followed You.” Following Jesus means leaving all. Those who leave are those who can follow. If we intend to follow Jesus, then we must leave our thoughts, ideas, concerns, ambitions, and aspirations behind. To follow Jesus means you only go where He goes, and you only do what He asks you to do. While this may sound extreme and unrealistic, this is the right way to follow; and this pattern, of course, hinges on the assumption that we believe He is Omnipotent and Omniscient and therefore can be fully relied upon.

“Lord Jesus, I’d rather not follow You at all than to follow You incorrectly. I trust in Your abilities and love and foreknowledge in all things. I trust Your thoughts for me are good thoughts, and therefore I am safe with You. O Lord Jesus, I leave my baggage behind, and I choose to trust and follow You unreservedly. Help me not to look back Lord. Amen.”