Folllow the Leader - Jo Huddleston

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." John 10:14, NIV


“Let’s play ‘Follow the Leader’ and I’m the leader!”

I watched as smiling neighborhood children hurried to line up behind Emily. She had called the game first, appointing herself as leader. Whatever the game, Emily usually emerged as the leader. The amazing thing about Emily and her games: other children were content to comply with her rules. They never tried to replace her and take over her leadership post. The other children seemed happy to follow her leadership without question. If Emily’s friends didn’t have a leader for their game, it would go awry and the children would probably break up into disorganized play, all teamwork forgotten.

Jesus told the disciples in Luke if they would follow Him they had to deny themselves daily. In Matthew, Peter speaks for the disciples when he tells Jesus they have obeyed and left everything to follow Him. When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, we will display this follow-the-leader attitude; we will be content for Him to be our leader.

In the parable of the shepherd and his flock in the book of John, Jesus teaches that sheep follow their shepherd “because they know His voice.” He says sheep won’t follow a stranger; rather they will run away from him because they don’t know the stranger’s voice. Mark tells us without a shepherd, sheep will fall into disarray and become scattered about.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep and they follow Him. Christians know Jesus Christ as the genuine shepherd whose direction they follow. A committed Christian won’t follow the wrong leader.

Are you playing “Follow the Leader” by following the world? Or are you really following our heavenly Leader? Will you follow Him without question?

Jo Huddleston is the author of four nonfiction books and the coauthor of an E-book on writing for the Christian marketplace. Her more than 200 devotions, articles and stories have appeared in over fifty publications, including Guideposts and Decision.
Read Jo's devotions.

You may visit with Jo at http://www.johuddleston.com/.

Follow the Leader - Jo Huddleston

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” John 10:14, NIV


“Let’s play ‘Follow the Leader,’ and I’m the leader!”

I watched as smiling neighborhood children hurried to line up behind Emily. She had called the game first, appointing herself as leader. Whatever the game, Emily usually emerged as the leader, other children content to comply. They seemed happy to follow her leadership without question.

Jesus told the disciples that if they would follow Him they had to deny themselves daily. Peter speaks for the disciples when he tells Jesus they obeyed and left everything to follow Him. When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, we will display this follow-the-leader attitude.

In the parable of the shepherd and his flock, Jesus teaches that sheep follow their shepherd “because they know His voice.” He says sheep won’t follow a stranger; rather they will run away from him because they don’t know the stranger’s voice. Without a shepherd, sheep fall into disarray and become scattered about.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep and they follow Him. Christians know Jesus Christ as the genuine shepherd whose direction they follow. A committed Christian won’t follow the wrong leader.

Are you playing ‘Follow the Leader’ by following the world? Or are you really following our heavenly leader?


Jo Huddleston is the author of four nonfiction books and the coauthor of an E-book on writing for the Christian marketplace. More than 200 of her devotions, articles and stories have appeared in over fifty publications, including Guideposts and Decision.

Remembers to Forget - Jo Huddleston

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 NIV

Scrapbooks usually contain no tokens of bad memories; we save only good mementos. In a thick book with sturdy, blank pages, we collect a lifetime of pleasant keepsakes. In hindsight maybe some of the things seem silly, but nevertheless they were important enough to us at one time to treasure them away. Later we’ll drag out the old scrapbook and delightfully relive our good times through its pages.

Sometimes, however, when we mentally review our life, we dwell on regret and self-reproach. In our mind we’ve filled volumes with past sins. Beyond yellowing photos and newspaper clippings in a tattered scrapbook, our mind’s eye recalls the ugly grievances we try in vain to forget: rebellion, disobedience and bargaining we slung in God’s face and our lack of praise, thanksgiving and faithfulness toward Him. If we have repented and been forgiven for these and other sins, we create our own guilt when we choose to remember them. Doing that only helps Satan’s mission to make us feel guilty.

God says when He forgives us for sinning, He also forgets our sin. He separates us from our sin as far as the east is from the west. Why can’t we be as kind toward ourselves? Because it’s not easy for our human mind to react that way. But that which is not easy for us, God’s holy nature accomplishes.

We build scrapbooks like God treats sin: we keep only good memories. With God’s help we can live in the same manner. We can release our forgiven sins and forget them. God has.

What better example for living than God’s could we have? Will you follow God’s example? Will you try to remember to forget your forgiven sins?


Jo Huddleston is the author of four nonfiction books and the coauthor of an E-book on writing for the Christian marketplace. Her more than 200 devotions, articles and stories have appeared in over fifty publications, including Guideposts and Decision.

How Many More Towns? - Jo Huddleston

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1, NIV

“How many more towns before we get to Granny and Papaw’s?” my five-year-old daughter called out as she wiggled in the back seat of the car. The familiar question sounded even as we’d leave our own city limits.

Each time she’d ask “How many more towns?” her daddy and I would give an up-dated number. We’d name familiar towns ahead.

We can name some “towns” which lie along the way in a Christian’s journey toward heaven: difficulty, disappointment, heartache, temptation. When confronted with these threatening roadblocks, we can take God at His word. When facing detours in our Christian travels, we can turn to God for directions.

Life’s setbacks may make us wonder how many more will come our way. We need to sharpen our focus on God’s sustaining strength to make it through them.

We are often tempted to be impatient travelers through the life God has planned for us. We ask “How many more towns?” Instead, we can ask God for His help to get through them and on to our destination: spending eternity with God!

Jo Huddleston is the author of four nonfiction books and the coauthor of an E-book on writing for the Christian marketplace. Her more than 200 devotions, articles and stories have appeared in over fifty publications, including Guideposts and Decision.
Read Jo's devotions.

Behold His Glory -- Jo Huddleston

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” -Psalm 19:1, NIV

A brand-new Christian at age fifteen, I’d never attended a sunrise church service. Indeed, I’d never seen a sunrise. The Great Smoky Mountains provided me the opportunity.

Our group of sleepy pilgrims met an hour before the sun’s scheduled appearance. In the predawn haze we hiked a short distance down the road before crossing an open field. We left an irregular path of footprints on its dew-bathed grass. The group followed our guide as the terrain steepened.

Making our way up the narrow trail, we reached a clearing on the hilltop. After a short time of devotion, we silently awaited God’s colorful creativity. I’d heard others praise this moment as a unique, transforming adventure. I waited expectantly. I wasn’t disappointed.

God’s paint brush moved with flawless perfection. He streaked the sky with startling pinks and flaming reds to announce the day’s impending arrival. Yellow and orange spilled from His palette and flooded the landscape. The regal fireball peeked above the distant mountain’s outline.
Instantly my worldly concerns vanished and I experienced genuine renewing of the mind. I keenly felt the Lord’s presence and identified with John when he wrote "The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory.”

I witnessed one of God’s great and glorious miracles of renewal that early morning long ago. Since then I’ve been privileged to enjoy other sunrises from mountains to seashores. But if I’m never blessed with the sight of another one, I won’t feel deprived. The memory of seeing my very first sunrise remains as detailed as if it happened this morning. Recalling that memory draws me closer to God and the knowledge of His omnipresence to sustain me.

Have you looked for the artistry of the Master—allowed Him to share His work in you? Seek after Him.




Jo Huddleston is the author of four nonfiction books and the coauthor of an E-book on writing for the Christian marketplace. Her more than 200 devotions, articles and stories have appeared in over fifty publications, including Guideposts and Decision. You may visit with Jo at www.johuddleston.com.



Jo's book is Shade of Gray: America's Cloudy Moral Climate
and is available at Amazon.com