Jesus Invites Me to Follow

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:34 NKJV

As I go through life, sometimes my eyes involuntarily dart to people in front of me – on the TV screen I am watching, or on the pages of the newspaper of magazine I am reading, or in an audience to which I am speaking. And just for a moment, as I contemplate the accomplishments of someone else, I wonder, What if . . . ? Almost immediately I am reminded that I have a unique purpose in life that God has given me. Because Jesus invites me to follow Him.

To work out that purpose requires hours spent in reading and studying His Word as well as in meditating on how it applies to me. I then have to work out on the anvil of my own experience what His Word has said, which involves obedience, service, and sacrifice. I don’t obey Him, or serve Him, or sacrifice for Him because I have to, but because I want to know Him, and that’s the avenue He’s laid out before me. With all my heart, I am just following Jesus. As a result, I am blessed with a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction and eternal significance, as well as with His presence in my life.

from “Life Is . . . Just Better . . . With Jesus” by Anne Graham Lotz (2007, Thomas Nelson)

About Anne Graham Lotz

Called “the best preacher in the family” by her father, Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz speaks around the globe with the wisdom and authority of years spent studying God’s Word.

The New York Times named Anne one of the five most influential evangelists of her generation. She’s been profiled on 60 Minutes, and has appeared on TV programs such as Larry King Live, The Today Show, and HannityLive. Her Just Give Me Jesus revivals have been held in more than 30 cities in 12 different countries, to hundreds of thousands of attendees.

Anne’s aim is clear – to bring revival to the hearts of God’s people.  And her message is consistent – calling people into a personal relationship with God through His Word.

Anne and her husband Danny Lotz have three grown children and three grandchildren.  She is the founder and president of AnGeL Ministries.