Published by Tyndale on May 5, 2020
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life, Devotional
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In the first devotional from David Platt, Follow Him equips and empowers you to bring people to know Jesus Christ through your life.To be a disciple of Jesus is to make disciples of Jesus. This has been true since the first century, when Jesus invited four men to follow him. More than searching for fish all over the Sea of Galilee, these men would spread the gospel all over the world. They would give their lives by not simply being disciples of Jesus, but by sacrificially making disciples of Jesus. And God's design for twenty-first-century disciples is the same.
Becoming a Christian involves responding to the gracious invitation of God in Christ. As we follow Christ, he transforms our will, mind, desires, relationships, and our ultimate reason for living. Every disciple of Jesus exists to make disciples of Jesus, here and among every people group on the planet.
Bestselling author and Bible teacher David Platt invites you to take a closer look over the next thirty-five days at what it means to be a true disciple; to become a fisher of men; and to give up your life, take up your cross, and Follow Him.
I so desperately want David Platt to write a book called Plattitudes. It’d be a collection of quotes on distinctly David Platt themes: radical obedience, discipleship, anti-materialism, justice, missions work, and so on. Unfortunately for my naming hopes, I think that’s what Follow Him is supposed to be: a concise devotional-style book wherein David Platt gives condensed two-minute messages on the themes he’s most passionate about.
Follow Him is a 35-day devotional about what it means to live for Christ no matter the cost. Now, I want to be honest—and I think David would agree with me—explicating that is actually a way bigger task than this small book can give. This is your quick hit introduction of approximately 300 words a day. I made it a habit to pick this book up in the morning, literally take two minutes to read the day’s devotion, then get out of bed. It was less about learning something new and more about becoming someone new and keeping the theme of that day in my head as I went through life.
Every day is one passage of Scripture, about 300 words of content, and a call to action. It was honestly the calls to action that did more for me than anything. Praise. Thank. Pray. Ask. These calls to action are all heavenward—not an action item of what to do but in how to grow in my relationship with God. The content is thoroughly Plattian. If you’ve listened to David Platt speak at any length, you know what I mean. You almost have to slow your reading because you can hear him speaking in your head. It’s a good thing, trust me.
This is the kind of book that you want to read if you feel your faith is in a rut. It’s the kind of book your church should hand out to new members and new believers. It’s the kind of introduction to a radical life in Christ that isn’t overwhelming. It’s calm. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. And thirty-five days later, you find yourself making radical changes in your faith and in your lifestyle.
Follow Him is your morning coffee, not your daily sustenance. It’s meant to be that daily jolt that awakens you, enlivens you, and gets you started. Hopefully it gets you seeking more of that substance and sustenance. (And for that, try Francis Chan’s Crazy Love or Nik Ripken’s The Insanity of Obedience or even Platt’s own Radical.) It’s a firm, quick-hit wake-up call meant to drive readers out of apathy and toward a true life of holiness.