Fields United Methodist Church

Thoughts Along the Way

Pastor Tom Joyce

April 21, 2021

“Follow me.”  John 21:19

Who do you follow? In our world we follow a lot of things; the weather, the news, sports, not to mention our favorite shows and social media. The invitation of Jesus is clear and concise; “follow me.”  Yet unlike following the stuff of the world, which is here one day and gone the next, following Jesus is an eternal choice, a choice that involves living out a commitment to “love God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” The path we traverse with Jesus is not always an easy one, sometimes it can be just plain hard. Jesus knows we are pulled in many directions and the distractions are many along the way. There are times in the midst of the journey we just need to affirm as Joshua did centuries ago, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) The world has a voracious appetite for your time; it will take however much time you are willing to give, but at what expense?  When you follow Jesus, you are accepting a life that is filled with the abundance of grace, and you will find rest for your weary soul. Jesus isn’t asking for your time, but for every part of you, to live out a life of joy and peace, not a burden to bear but a gift to give. When you choose to follow Jesus, every moment is somehow different, more precious, more peaceful, more hope-filled.  A life following Jesus is not about giving up time from something else; it is living the time God has given, as a friend of mine would always say, “wallowing in grace.” Following Jesus is a choice of making Jesus a priority, not just another thing on the calendar, but the calendar. Follow the one who has promised to be with you, “always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) You will be eternally blessed as your witness to others will be a blessing.