Text- Philippians 3:12 – “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus”
Beloved, there is a divine agenda behind your life. This was what Paul referred to as “That for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus”. However, there is one thing you must do if this divine agenda will become a physical reality… you must FOLLOW AFTER.
Yesterday, we saw from scriptures that our primary obligation of followership is to follow after God. We learnt that this requires dying to self, and carrying our cross daily.
But that is not all here is to following after. A lot of people have tried their very best in becoming good followers of God, but they need to never to be able to hit it off. This is largely because there is nobody outing them through. They have nobody they look up to for guidance.
In 1 Cor. 11:1, Paul said to the Corinthian Church, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”. This means “Be my disciples, even as I also am of Christ”. It means, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”
This shows that there is someone you should be following, as he follows Christ. On this journey of faith and destiny, you cannot operate like a one-manbattalion.
I love to say it this way, your destiny is not just about you and God. There is somebody that God has assigned over your life to help you become all that God has ordained you to be. You must find man, and follow him.
See how Paul puts it in 1 Cor. 4:15-16,
“For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me”
So then, we see that as you run the race of destiny, you must follow after your Spiritual Father. It’s like an Elijah-Elisha kind of relationship. You see, Elijah had no intentions whatsoever to pass on his prophetic mantle to Elisha.
It was God who told Elijah to anoint Elisha as prophet in his stead (1 Kings 19:15-16) God already had it in mind to work with Elisha, but that would not have become a reality if Elisha did not follow after Elijah. I like how 1 Kings 19:20 puts it, it says Elisha “ran after Elijah”
One thing in 1 Cor. 11:1 that we must not lose sight of is the condition “even as I also am of Christ”. This means that whoever you have submitted to, to follow after, must be a man that is himself following Christ, because at the end of the day, Christ alone is the perfect standard for every one of us.
Beloved, locate your Spiritual father, and follow after him. This kind of “Following after” is will break you into the reality of God’s plan and agenda for your life.
PRAYER
Father, I make a commitment to follow after my Spiritual Father, as he follows you my Heavenly Father. I will follow in the footsteps of his faith, integrity, and walk with you. Show me who it is Lord, and I will follow after.
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