Friday, February 4, 2011

The Invitation to Follow Jesus

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. -Matthew 4:18-20 (KJV)

Accepting the invitation to follow Jesus involves faith, belief, and a complete life transformation. When we decide to follow Jesus changes will take place in our lives.  Think about what those changes involve: 
  • Outlook; our outlook and the way we see the world changes.  We start thinking in terms of eternity rather than just what goes on during this span of time we are here.
  • Speech; the way we talk will be affected.  The one who was given to profanity will find out through the power of the Holy Spirit that he should no longer speak that way, and the Holy Spirit will give him power to change. 
  • Our understanding of why we are here; our understanding for being in the world is changed from thinking about how we want to live to how the Lord would have us to live.
  • Life direction; the one who was wandering away from God now begins to walk the straight and narrow road with the Lord.
  • Our motivation; in Christ we are divinely motivated to serve the Lord and do His will.  We no longer put ourselves first, but we place the Lord first in our lives knowing that all else will then line up in its proper place. 
Jesus saw two brothers, Peter and Andrew, casting a net into the sea and He called them to come and follow Him.  Take note of what He said; “I will make you fishers of men.”  They were fishermen by trade, but from then on they would catch souls for the kingdom of God.  That simple invitation changed their lives forever.  Notice that Peter and Andrew left immediately and followed Jesus.  If we are going to serve the Lord and do His will we must follow Him with the same kind of commitment. There can be no turning back. 

When we accept Jesus' invitation to follow Him we are intended to do so for life.  Christ is still calling people to follow Him and be His disciples.  In Jesus we find new life, purpose, hope, direction, and the abundant life.  Trust the Lord today and start walking in His blessing and power.

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