July 30 🌿 “FOLLOW ME” — THE JOURNEY OF A DISCIPLE FOLLOW ME...BY SERVING 📖 John 12:26 (LLV) — “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, My Father will honor him.” We often think of following Jesus as a journey of faith. And it is. But Jesus connects following with something very practical. Serving. “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me.” Service begins by following. We cannot truly serve Christ while insisting upon choosing our own direction. The servant goes where the Master leads. Sometimes He leads us toward people we might otherwise overlook. Toward someone who is lonely. Someone who needs encouragement. Someone who needs a helping hand. Sometimes serving Jesus looks remarkably ordinary. A meal prepared. A friend encouraged. A child taught. A stranger welcomed. A burden shared. A prayer offered when no one else knows about it. The world often measures importance by how many people serve us. Jesus turns that measure upside down. Greatness in His kingdom is discovered when we learn to serve others. “And where I am, My servant will be also.” What a beautiful thought. Where do we find Jesus? Throughout the Gospels, we find Him among people. The hurting. The forgotten. The rejected. The searching. Perhaps when we wonder where Jesus is leading us, we should look for someone who needs His love. And then comes a remarkable promise: “My Father will honor him.” Much of what we do for Christ may never be noticed by anyone else. There may be no applause. No recognition. No reward we can see. But heaven notices. The Father sees every quiet act of love offered in the name of His Son. Following Jesus is not about being noticed. It is about being faithful. A new beginning serves here: discovering that wherever Jesus leads us, there will always be someone we can love, encourage, help, or serve in His name. Reflection: Who has Jesus placed along my path today whom I can serve—not for recognition, but simply because I am following Him? Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me to follow You with the heart of a servant. Open my eyes to people I might otherwise overlook. Help me serve without seeking recognition and love without expecting anything in return. Lead me where You want me to go, and let my hands become instruments of Your kindness and grace. Amen.