the idea of following...

Not many people like to follow...I'm guessing it's why most want to be the "leader" in a rousing game of Follow the Leader. You really only play the game so you can have an opportunity to be the leader. You can't sit on the sidelines and watch others play then decide to play and automatically be promoted to "leader." It just doesn't happen that way.

In John 20:18-19, Jesus tells Peter to "Follow me." It wasn't unusual for Jesus to ask people to follow him, but there was something unusual this time. In verse 18, Jesus sheds a little insight on the type of death Peter was going to have. In fact, it was "the kind of death he was to glorify God." It was after Jesus said this that He told Peter to follow. "So Peter...you're going to die...and not in a cool way...Follow Me!" The account of Peter after this encounter with the risen Christ reveals that Peter did just that. He followed Christ. He went and preached the Gospel to a lost and dying world. He followed...even to his death.

Peter got involved in the game. He wasn't sitting on the sidelines watching, hoping to be a leader...He followed first, then he lead. We get ahead of ourselves sometimes...we want to be a leader before we follow. Well, it doesn't work that way. We follow in order to one day lead. We follow the Scriptures...we follow our mentors...we follow Christ! It's only then that we are fit to lead.

So who wants to play a rousing game of Follow the Leader...We'll be all time followers, because there's already one all time Leader...

JM