Remember Little Peggy March? She had some hit songs in the ’60s, but none as big as “I Will Follow Him” in 1963. She was 14 years old at the time. The song was about a girl’s love for a boy. Look at how much she loved him:
“Love him, I love him, I love him
And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll followI will follow him, follow him wherever he may go
There isn’t an ocean too deep
A mountain so high it can keep me awayI must follow him, ever since he touched my hand I knew
That near him I always must be
And nothing can keep him from me
He is my destiny”
Do you see the depth of her young love and devotion for another human being? She was willing to follow him anywhere. There was no ocean too deep or mountain too high to keep her away from him. Ever since he touched her hand she knew she had to be near him. Nothing could keep him from her because he was her destiny. She had to follow him. She must follow him.
How does a girl’s love for a boy compare with a Christian’s love for Jesus Christ? Do we have to follow him? Will we follow Him wherever He may go? Is there any ocean too deep, any mountain too high to keep us away from Him? Is Jesus Christ our destiny?
We should love God’s Son more than any other love in life. We should love Jesus with every beat of our heart. Every breath we take should be about Jesus. Every thought should be of Him.
Here’s how Jesus explained that kind of love.
“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” Mark 12:30
That is love! That is devotion! To love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. What does that kind of love lead us to do? Follow Him wherever He should go.
How much do I love Jesus? How much do you love Jesus? Let’s be honest. That’s the only way to really take our spiritual love temperature. Did you know that God takes the temperature of our love for Him? Look at what Jesus said about that. It’s pretty sobering.
“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Revelation 3:14-21
Those words must have stunned the Christian disciples who lived, worked and worshiped in Laodicea. My guess is they thought of themselves as good followers of Christ. They certainly would have stood out in their community in the 1st Century AD since Christianity was such a new belief system in the world at that time. They saw themselves as rich and in need of nothing, but how did their Lord and Savior see them? Lukewarm. Wretched. Miserable. Poor. Blind. Naked. Jesus told the Laodicean disciples that He wished they were cold or hot. He said that was so much better than being lukewarm.
The words that Jesus spoke to the 7 Churches of Revelation give me pause — to consider what kind of follower I am. Jesus is so loving and kind to point out our spiritual love temperature. He rebukes and chastens those He loves. If I don’t like what I see, there is something I can do about it. “Therefore be zealous and repent.” What happens if we do what Jesus commands? He has a special promise for us. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Lukewarm discipleship sickens Jesus (“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth”), but He still loves us and is waiting for us to be zealous and repent. He stands at the door and knocks and if we hear His voice and open the door to Him, He will come in and dine.
Let’s take our temperature today. If we don’t like what we see, we have the option to be zealous and repent — and Jesus will come in and our close relationship with Him will be restored. How sweet it is to follow Jesus.
In Christ’s Love and Grace,
Mark McGee
GraceLife Blog 