Follow Me As I Follow Christ

In this Christian Living UPGRADE, I (Dawn) want to inspire readers to inspire others in 2020—all to the glory of God!

One of the most difficult comments I received several years ago was this: "Who do you think you are? Do you think you are on some sort of pedestal?"

It was a hard comment to receive. At first, I reacted. "And who do you think YOU are ....?"

But then—upset that I reacted so quickly—I chose to respond in prayer.

I asked the Lord, "Is there some element of truth here?"

As it turned out, there was. The Lord showed me a strong streak of pride.

I did have a lot to be proud about.

But I was proud of the wrong person.

I should have pointed people to Jesus—the One who enables us to accomplish great things for His glory.

Since that time, I've been intrigued by the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1: "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (NIV). Or in the Amplified version: "Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ."

From the human standpoint, Paul had every reason to be proud of himself and his accomplishments.

Even before his conversion, Paul was a deeply religious man. A model Jew. He wrote, "If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more"—and he described his high religious pedigree (Philippians 3:4-11).

Paul wasn't being arrogant or smug. He was just being honest.

But then, becoming a Christ-follower changed Paul's heart. He saw his incredible spiritual heritage in a new light.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ," he said. "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:7-8a).

He saw his good works as "rubbish" (v. 8), because he knew his true righteousness would only be found in Jesus.

"... not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" (Philippians 3:9).

Paul trusted only in the work of Jesus for him on the cross. He no longer wanted to boast in good works and accomplishments.

Rather, he boasted in his weakness so that Christ's strength would be perfected in and manifest through him (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

And he said, "Follow Me."

As I read of Paul's change of heart, I find his invitation to believers to follow him as he followed Christ so beautiful.

It is the humble spirit that best points to the One who deserves true praise.

God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5b-6). And out of that undeserved grace, we praise Him. We exalt Him.

No one but Jesus is perfect, but we are made righteous in Him (Romans 3:22a; 5:1).We are not yet sinless, but hopefully we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit and growing into Christ-likeness (Romans 8:29).

Certainly, we will fail the Lord many times this side of heaven, but He still calls us to follow Him. Trust Him. Obey Him. And make Him known.

We should want our words and deeds to inspire others to follow Jesus.

When we fail, we confess our sins to God and if need be, to others (1 John 1:9; James 5:16) and we continue to grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18a).

At the beginning of this post, I wrote about a comment that revealed to me my strong streak of pride. But many things have changed in my life since then. One of the biggest changes is the unexpected "gift" of disease that has taught me to follow Jesus more closely, so aware of my own needs.

A recent comment to me—and I give God all praise and honor for this—shows how the Lord can use us as we are vulnerable and honest about our struggles and yet trusting in Christ's sufficiency.

A friend said something like this: 

"Thank you for encouraging me to follow Jesus. Your faith and obedience have inspired me, and I love Jesus more because of you."

Those words brought tears, because I know my heart's new desire is to put Jesus on the pedestal He so highly deserves.

So yes, friend.... follow me as I follow Christ.

I may trip and fall, but I am on the right path. And I want you to walk with me.

How does your life inspire others to follow Jesus? What might need to change so others will want to walk with you?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, at Revive Our Hearts, a blogger at TrueWoman.com, writes wiki-type posts at  Christianity.com, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted, Footprints in the Snow, Wallpaper courtesy of yesofcorsa.com.

10 Things I Would Tell the President in a Sit-down Chat

This is a bit of a departure from my normal UPGRADE posts. It is a Leadership UPGRADE that took shape when I had an image in my mind of sitting down with our President to share from my heart.

At first, this seemed a bit presumptuous. But then again, I love our President and pray for him and his wife and family, so my words would come from a heart filled with love.

The more I thought about what I would say, the more I realized I could speak this truth into any leader's life, because it is all based on scriptural truth.

We all need to grow spiritually. There is no room to think we've "arrived." But I believe we are to challenge each other to make better choices so we can grow, help others, and bring glory to God.

That said, here are my "10 Things I Would Tell the President in a Sit-down Chat"—

1. Seek God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

This is more than a casual, superficial relationship. Be sure you know Him, not simply know about Him.

Get this relationship wrong and nothing else matters.

(Psalm 14:2; Matt. 6:33; Psalm 63:1; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:23; 5:8; Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 6:23; 10:9-10; John 3:16)

2. Love your wife*—your prime relationship after God.

Be faithful to her, listen with your heart, be sensitive to her needs, and appreciate her sacrifices for your career.  

(Prov. 18:22; Eph. 5:25-33) 

* Obviously, this would be a little different if the president were a woman.

3. Be a good example to your children.  

Model good character and service, and teach them what truly matters.

In parenting, observed actions matter even more than words.

(Prov. 3:21; 22:6; Deut. 11:18-19; Psalm 78:4; Prov. 13:22; 18:9; Eph. 6:4) 

4. Protect other key relationships—grandchildren, valued friends and co-workers.

People will always be more important than programs, possessions and profits.

Love and serve people well. 

(Psalm 78:4; Deut. 6:5-7; Psalm 112:1-3—Prov. 17:17; 27:17—Matt. 20:26-28; Prov. 16:11; Eph. 4:28; Col. 4:1; Deut. 24:14-15)

5. Surround yourself with wise advisors.

Wise is far better than smart.

Cherish those who dare to tell you the truth, even if it hurts. 

(Prov. 11:14; 13:20; 15:22; Col. 2:8)

6. Refrain from belittling those who disagree with you.

Personal attacks and name-calling are unnecessary. 

It’s OK to point out where and why a person is wrong, but do so with respect.

(Phil. 2:3; Rom. 12;10, 19; Luke 6:31; Eph. 4:24; 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:17)

7. Look for the positive in people.

Listen and consider how you might learn from them. Be willing to learn and change. 

Never neglect giving honor where honor is due. 

(James 1:19; Phil. 4:8—Prov. 3:27; Rom. 13:7b)

8. Always be quick to forgive and to ask forgiveness—even when it’s hard.

Pride can destroy a leader.

Humility comes before honor.

(Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13; Luke 6:37b—Matt. 18:21-22—Prov. 15:33; 18:12)

9. Practice self-control.

Every day you will encounter opportunities to:

• show patience,
• temper anger,
• resist bragging,
• overcome lust,
• and avoid temptation.

Be brave and choose well.

(Gal. 5:22-23; Rom. 12:2—Eph. 4:2; Prov. 15:18; James 1:19-20; Prov. 22:24; Psalm 37:8; Prov. 29:11; James 4:16; Phil. 2:3; Jer. 9:23; Prov. 27:1-2; 2 Cor. 11:30; Job 31:1; 1 Cor. 10:13; Gal. 5:16)

10. Leave a legacy that blesses those in your charge; but ultimately, seek to please God.

In the end, only what God says about you will matter—not what it says in life’s history books or on your tombstone.

(Rom. 12:1-2; Heb. 11:6; Psalm 147:10-11; Prov. 16:7)

Are you a leader? Are any of these truths lacking in your own life? What does God say you should do? Obey Him for greater blessing, and to bring Him praise.

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for Revive Our Hearts  and a writer at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in Southern California and have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted from Jessica Gale at Morguefile.