Newness of Life in Being Followed.

  Have you ever been followed? It really does not matter who you are or where you are in life, at times in your life you will have followers.  It could be simply being followed to a destination by vehicle or trekking down a trail. Maybe you have garnered countless followers on Twitter. Anyone who has been gifted with the privilege of parenting has definitely been followed (Thank God for good and faithful parents!). And as a leader, young or seasoned, followers are there to learn and grow with your mentoring and help.
   You may have even had the harrowing experience of unwanted following.  I experienced a little of that out on a long walk at dusk one night in the Phoenix desert.  It seemed as though two coyotes thought it would be fun to track me a while, albeit from a distance, as I ambled along in the heat. Thankfully, there were only two and they found something more appealing an opposite way. Sometimes we can invite unwelcome followers too, in the form of consequences from poor choices or unchecked habits that draw us away from our walk with Christ.  Good news abounds, though, when we remember that we can be forgiven when we confess our waywardness and joy can be restored by His unending grace.
  In God's Word we can find some followers that are very welcome indeed.
  In Psalm 23, verse 6, we read:

  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the day's of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

  It is incredibly comforting to know that as we walk in newness of life with Him, His infinite mercy is richly available.  Grace is getting what we don't deserve, while mercy is not getting what we do deserve. We can take great delight in that and eagerly show thankfulness to God each day by:
Making sure to read His Word.
Living a life in front of others that points ultimately to Him.  The words of Mark Hall from Casting Crowns expresses it well in part of their song "Slow Fade":

"Be careful little feet where you go,
For it's the little feet behind you,
That are sure to follow."

  His goodness follows those who are His too. His ways are higher than our ways, so we can hardly imagine how good His goodness really is!  But as we spend life pursuing Him and living a life to please Him, He lets us know that His love is unconditional and endures forever.  Praise Him for His goodness, as He says in His Word:

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."- Romans 8:28

A prayer:
  Father, I cannot thank you enough for sending your Son to die for me and take the penalty of my sin, and then You raised Him from the dead so that I may have eternal life if I believe and trust in Him. Thank you too for sending mercy and goodness to follow me in all of life.  I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.