Who are we serving? Who are we following? Who are we seeking honor from?

Adapted by Greg Johnson from his sermon Graduation Day

If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. John 12:26  

This is the graduation season where many have accomplished great things in academics. God has blessed us with the desire and ability to gain knowledge. Upon graduation, the graduate should be looking at what lies ahead and seeking to answer many questions concerning what they are going to do with the rest of their life. It’s an exciting time as people move toward their destinies and purposes in their journey.  All of us, not only graduates, need to re-evaluate sometimes and answer three very important questions about our lives: 1) Who are we serving? 2) Who are we following? 3) Who are we seeking honor from?

Who Are We Serving?
We are to serve Jesus.  We all come from different backgrounds. We all have different gifts and talents. We all have different likes and dislikes. But we all have one thing in common. The commonality that draws us together is our calling. The calling on each of our life is to serve Jesus.

We are placed on this earth and are left on this earth to serve Jesus. We serve Jesus in the workplace. We serve Jesus in our schools and colleges. We serve Jesus in our neighborhoods and in our communities. We serve Jesus in the hospitals. We serve Jesus in the nursing homes. We serve Jesus in the prisons. We serve Jesus at the homeless shelters. That’s what this journey is all about; serving Jesus. When our service is complete, we get to graduate. We get to leave this earth behind and spend eternity with Jesus. Won’t that be a wonderful graduation day!

Who Are We Following?
We serve Jesus by following Him.  When Jesus walked this earth, He called people to follow Him; people from all walks of life from various backgrounds, social and economic statuses. He called people from the poorest to the wealthiest to follow Him. Jesus called people that made their living as commercial fisherman to follow Him. Jesus called tax collectors to follow Him. Jesus called medical professionals to follow Him.

As people followed Jesus, they learned how to serve Him. They listened to His teachings and they observed His life. They began to do what Jesus taught and showed them. Following Jesus is so important. You see, we cannot serve Him without following Him. Jesus Himself said whoever serves me must follow me.  The word "must" makes this command a necessity. It is absolutely impossible to serve Jesus without following Him.

Who Are We Seeking Honor From?
Following Jesus is so exciting and rewarding. He leads us and He guides us all along life’s way. Jesus will never leave or forsake one of His servants.  He says "where I am, my servant will also be." Servants of Jesus have figured out something that is very important in life. They have come to the conclusion that Jesus will be with them no matter what comes their way as they follow Him. They understand that it’s not about following their own desires or following the world or the things of the world, and expecting Jesus to show up to take care of all of their problems when they need Him to do so. No, servants realize that Jesus will be present with them as they follow Him. It’s really pretty simple: we are to serve Jesus; to serve Jesus we follow Him; where Jesus is, His servant is also.

Those that serve Jesus will be honored.  Many honors have been passed out across the land at graduation after graduation. Academic honors. Athletic honors. Billions of dollars in scholarships have been granted. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these honors and they should be rightly distributed to those so deserving who have worked diligently on achieving their goals. But, you know what the ultimate honor is? Not to be honored by man, but to be honored by God. To be honored by the One that has created us and spoke us in existence. To be honored by the One that loves us so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for our sins.  Jesus said "my Father will honor the one who serves me."

Whether you are a graduate or well past that point, remember to serve Jesus by following Him on this journey. As you follow Jesus you will stay in His presence. On the real graduation day, when you leave this earth and arrive in Glory you will be honored by God Himself throughout all eternity! You will hear the words thunder from His voice, "WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT!"

Scripture to Claim:
It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to Him.  Deuteronomy 13:4