My Pastor
recently preached on Jesus calling the first disciples. I was struck by it as I’ve been examining my own calling. As I listened to the sermon, I thought about Matthew 4:18-20 “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” I thought about how their whole world got turned upside down. They had a career and Jesus tells them to give it up. His only instruction, “Come, follow me” and their response? “At once they left their nets and followed him.”
I thought about my reaction to God’s calling. God calls me, “Come follow me.” “Are you sure God? You want me to do this? Or this? Or maybe this?” “Come follow me.” “So, you’re saying I should do this and this but not this?” “Come follow me” “Now? I have some things I need to do first” “Come follow me.” I really want to. I want it more than anything but –“ “Come follow me.”
The disciples dropped everything to follow Christ. They got fame but not the way we think of fame. They had the closest relationship with Jesus as His disciples, but it required a lifetime of sacrifice. They had difficult lives without financial gain and paid the ultimate price for that devotion. I tell myself I want to be that obedient but I struggle with the minor sacrifices I’ve had to make. It’s hard to look at our lives and ask, “are we responding to Jesus’ call? Have we dropped everything to follow Him?” But I think when we do, we deepen our relationship and obedience to Christ. We make things complicated when it’s really quite simple. God asks for one thing, “Come follow me.”
Photo byAnna Monina RafalonUnsplash
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