Following Daily
The principle of compounding growth.
Dear #DailyFollower,
I’m sure you’ve heard of the power of compounding interest.
In investment, compounding interest enables more significant returns on invested capital.
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear uses the same concept to explain how self-improvement happens. He said:
A small habit—when repeated consistently—grows into something significant.
According to Clear, “habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.“
When Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you…“
It’s easy to think that the following would instantaneously lead to being made.
So when you read that one of the first disciples He called to follow Him denied him after 3+ years of following, it can be confusing.
Or one of the called ones betrayed Him, leading to His death. I’m sure it begs the question about the validity of Christ’s assertion about making those who follow him.
It is easy to conclude that Christ failed at His commitment to making Peter, Judas and the other disciples (who fled after his arrest) fishers of men (and women).
One thing Christ understood over 2,000 years ago was the power of compound interest.
Even after Christ's resurrection, his followers who walked the sands of time with him didn’t seem to be made into better versions of themselves before talking about becoming fishers of men (and women).
Peter got himself back to what he knew, fishing in the Sea of Galilee, and he got other followers to join him on this course.
This reality didn’t deter Christ from once more doing what he had done many times in the preceding three years: calling His followers to himself.
He called them to Himself and taught them one last time before ascending into heaven.
From then onward, these followers followed (obeying) the Master's instructions daily.
He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8); they did and didn’t leave the upper room until they were filled in Acts 2:1-4.
Following daily became crucial evidence of their response to Christ’s call.
So much so that it became a culture that defined how new believers grew in the early church, as Luke documented in Acts 2:42, EXB:
42 They ·spent [devoted] their time learning the apostles’ teaching, ·sharing [fellowship], breaking bread [this may refer to a meal as in v. 46, or to the Lord’s Supper; Luke 22:14–20], and praying together.
They invested time, and the result was fruitfulness and making a meaningful impact on the society around them; in Acts 2:47, EXB, Luke shares a picture of what that looked like:
47 They praised God and were ·liked by [looked upon favourably by] all the people. Every day, the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers.
Christ fulfilled His promise - He made them fishers of men (and women)!
However, they had to follow daily to see His promise manifested.
He wants to do the same with you and me today, but the question is:
Would we follow daily?
I will, and I hope you will, too! Join me every day this year as I share thoughts about following Jesus and allowing Him to make our lives meaningful, fruitful, impactful, and satisfying. Click “subscribe now“ to be notified when each newsletter is published.
These thoughts would bless or encourage someone in your circle. Please share this newsletter with them by hitting the share button below.
Yours faithfully,
John, a #DailyFollower