Follow me. Jesus often spoke these words throughout His ministry on earth. Sometimes to follow Him involves a drastic leap of faith into the face of our deepest fears. It could also be just a small step for us that will ultimately lead us down a path to something truly beyond anything we could imagine. Either way, it all begins with our decision to take that step forward.

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Following Jesus begins with a step of obedience and surrender to Him and His ways. Throughout scripture, we can see that many amazing things all happened after a step forward in obedience by faith. From Noah who took the step of faith to begin building the ark, to David who took a step of great faith to face the giant Goliath, they all had to surrender any doubts or fears to God and be obedient to His calling. Our step may not seem as big as these examples, but when we surrender ourselves to God, even the smallest step in obedience can lead to very big things. When the disciples were asked to lay down their nets or leave their family and lives behind to follow Jesus, they took that step in obedience. They had no idea where this first step would lead them, but what a journey it was and their lives, along with the lives of everyone who reads their stories, would be forever changed all because of those small steps.

So you may ask what is a step that we can take today that would bring us to a deeper relationship with the Lord? I believe one of the best places to start is learning about who God is for yourself. I’m not talking about the stuff other people may tell you about or teach you, but a personal journey of discovering what the Lord says, what He thinks, and how He feels. Getting to know the true heart of God is where the TRUE relationship begins. A step as simple as taking the time to read a few verses from the Bible each night can make a huge impact on your life. It all begins with making the decision to set apart a few minutes per day just to spend getting to know God. You can begin by simply asking God to show you something new today about Himself or His ways and then opening your Bible to a random page and begin studying it. Some things you read may not always make since to you at this point, but don’t get discouraged, over time God can reveal the meaning to you as you grow in your understanding of Him.

I’ve heard many people, including myself, say that life is just too busy to find time to read my Bible. You may also say that you’ve always wanted to read the Bible, but just never did. Well I invite you to make today that day, and take just 5-10 minutes to read a few scriptures in your Bible. Remember that it all begins with a step, no matter how small it may seem, God can make big things out of our small surrenders. Thanks for reading and keep faith.