What Did Jesus Really Mean When He Said Follow Me?

by David Platt

Ultimately the call to follow Jesus is a call to die—to die to ourselves and to die to the things of this world. But at the same time, it is a call to live—to experience unbridled joy as we follow Jesus wherever he leads in this world.

Yet the penalty for sin is not determined by our measure of it. Instead, the penalty for sin is determined by the magnitude of the one sinned against.

When a man’s heart is flatlined, does he invite people to resuscitate him? No. These things are impossible for those who are dead. In your death, you need someone else, completely outside of you, to call you to life and enable you to live.

Disciples like Peter, Andrew, James, and John show us that the call to follow Jesus is not simply an invitation to pray a prayer; it is a summons to lose our lives.

There is indescribable joy to be found, deep satisfaction to be felt, and an eternal purpose to be fulfilled in dying to ourselves and living for him.

The way to conquer sin is not by working hard to change our deeds but by trusting Jesus to change our desires.