Follow the Follower

What does it mean to pursue the Lord? The short and simple answer to this question is obedience. A passionate pursuit of the Lord is revealed in an unwavering and uncompromising obedience to the Lord. Nevertheless, what does that look like? Well, the Bible is filled with an exuberant amount of illustrations that give a mental picture of what this pursuit looks like.

Let me share the example that got me thinking about spiritual leadership in the first place. The king's name is Asa, and he can be found in 2 Chronicles, chapters fourteen through fifteen. When we first meet Asa, we find him passionately pursuing the Lord, "Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In those days the land had rest for ten years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 14:1-3). What a testimony of obedience on the part of Asa. Obedience is revealed in the fact that Asa, "did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord." What did Asa do that was "good and right in the eyes of the Lord"?

Asa radically obeyed the Lord when "He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandments" (2 Chronicles 14:3-4). As you can see, Asa was a man who sought the Lord and led others to do the same. And as a consequence of his pursuit of the Lord, Asa and the people of Judah, were blessed by God.

God brought about peace and prosperity pursuant to Judah's obedience, "We have sought him and he has given us peace on every side, So they built and prospered" (2 Chronicles 14:7). God's favor is upon those who obey him no matter what the cost. There are several lessons from Asa's example.

People know when a leader is following the Lord. They know when you love Jesus because you live a life of obedience. You don't seek out your own agenda, but the Lord's. You know that the church belongs to Jesus, and he is the head of the church, and he is the one who directs the church. When you are really following Jesus, and he puts something on your heart, the people will believe it is from the Lord because you are following the Lord.

People will follow a leader, who is following the Lord. Believers who are following the Lord will follow a person following the Lord. It's that simple. Don't forget that the key ingredient to your leadership is your obedience. I have had many people affirm this truth to me over the years. I have had people say, "Pastor, I know you are walking with the Lord." Now, this encourages me as well as inspires me to seek the Lord every day. Why does it inspire me? People can see when a leader is following the Lord. Are you following the Lord?

God will bless a leader, who is following the Lord. How God blesses you is up to God, but he will bless those who follow him. King David understood this truth, "For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face" (Psalm 11:7).