{"id":2356,"date":"2026-04-04T07:51:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.asiaseminary.com\/?p=2356"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:52:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T12:52:07","slug":"follow-closely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.asiaseminary.com\/follow-closely\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow Closely"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. Philippians 3:17<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When was the last time you needed to follow closely behind someone to arrive at your destination? That was sometimes necessary in the \u201colden days\u201d because most maps didn\u2019t provide street-level detail. So, if your group was too large to fit into one car, the driver who knew where he was going would carefully lead the other driver to their destination. If you were following, you needed to stay close, so you didn\u2019t get separated and lost. But with the advent of cell phones and GPS technology, finding your way to unknown locations is now a snap. Your phone tells you where to turn and when. Following someone closely is unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But have you ever asked your phone to give you directions to heaven? It doesn\u2019t work; I\u2019ve tried. If you and I can\u2019t get to heaven by asking our phones the way, how can we ever get there? By closely following others who know how to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a time in the apostle Paul\u2019s life when he was totally lost. He thought he knew how to get to heaven. Simple; follow the rules, he thought. But then he discovered God doesn\u2019t just require us to try our best or be better than the next person. No, to enter the gates of heaven, we need to be perfect. No missed turns, no sin, ever. Like us, Paul couldn\u2019t manage that. He was lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then Jesus found and rescued him. As the world\u2019s Savior, Jesus did what we could never do. He\u2019s perfect! More than that, he freely forgives our sins and gives us his perfection as a gift. Through faith in him and by following him closely, our destination is certain. We\u2019re on the road to heaven, everlasting life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul learned to follow Jesus closely in faith. Now, he urges us to follow his example and do the same. If we try to get to heaven on our own, we\u2019ll never arrive. But by placing our faith in Jesus and following his life-giving direction closely, we\u2019ll show up safe and sound. Forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer: <\/strong>Dear Jesus, help me follow you in faith to my heavenly home. Amen.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. Philippians 3:17 When was the last time you needed to follow closely behind someone to arrive at your destination? That was sometimes necessary in the \u201colden days\u201d because most maps didn\u2019t provide street-level detail. So, if your group was too large to fit into one car, the driver who knew where he was going would carefully lead the other driver to their destination. If you were following, you … Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devotions","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","resize-featured-image"],"yoast_head":"\nFollow Closely - Asia Lutheran Seminary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/en.asiaseminary.com\/follow-closely\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Follow Closely - Asia Lutheran Seminary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 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