Pay Attention, Keep Up, Stay Close

Years ago, long before the days of cell phones and GPS, part of learning to drive a car was learning how to follow someone on the road. If someone said, 'Oh hey, let's go to so-and-so's house. I know the way. Just follow me,' you knew you had to immediately get focused. For as soon as they took off down the road, you had to be right there behind them. You knew that there were no safety nets. If you lost them on the way, and you didn't know where they were going, there was no way of calling them from the car saying, 'Hey, where are you? I lost you.' There was no GPS to punch an address into to find the destination for yourself. And you couldn't even stop and ask for directions, because all you had sometimes was a first name of the person who lived there. If you lost them, you were done for the night.

So you realized fast that you had to learn some survival skills. 

First Rule to following: PAY ATTENTION. This was not the time to start looking around and getting distracted. If friends were goofing around in the car, you made it clear that you weren't interested in anything but following the car in front of you.

Second Rule: KEEP UP. If the car you're following was going 55mph, you didn't go 40mph. You were only setting yourself up. 

Third Rule: Similar to the second, STAY CLOSE. You didn't let anything come between you and the one you're following. So if you were lagging behind, you risked other cars coming in front of you and obstructing your view of the car. Staying close also assured you that you could follow the car's every move and see when his turn signal came on. You knew right away when a merge or turn would be happening.

You understood that when you were following someone, you were basing your decisions on the decisions of the one you were following. You weren't holding onto your own ideas of where you were going or how you were going to get there. You had to die to all that, so to speak. 

Jesus understood the concept of following - what it meant and what it would take for those that said yes to Him when He called out, "Follow me!" He knew the kind of invitation He was putting out there. He made it clear from the beginning that if we chose His Way, we would not be the leaders, but the followers. We would not be the ones calling the shots, leaning on our own understanding, or trusting in ourselves. Instead, we'd have to learn the rules to following: Pay Attention, Keep Up, Stay Close. 

Pay Attention to what the Spirit is saying. Focus in on His Voice. Listen and avoid getting distracted by the world and things are you.

Keep Up, keep in step with His Spirit. Find His Rhythm, His Pace. Walk in stride with Him.

Stay Close to the One who whispers. His instructions often come in gentle nudges. But those that are close, lean in and hear every word. Then they are able to catch the 'turn signals' and subtle clues that often precede the merges and turns in life. And they refuse to let any other 'car' come between them.

Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. 
And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

‭‭John‬ ‭12:23-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

http://bible.com/116/jhn.12.23-26.nlt