“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1:17
Out of nowhere comes a man, walking beside the Sea of Galilee. Born in obscure Nazareth, baptized 30 years later in the Jordan, just beginning to proclaim the kingdom of God, He approaches four fishermen, hard at work with their nets, and asks them to follow Him. Incredibly they follow, leaving their vocations behind. Who is this man? What authority elicits such a total response from these rugged fishermen?
We live in a skeptical age. Many voices call us to follow – endless sales people, TV evangelists, political leaders, etc. Generally, we tune out the voices and follow the line of least resistance. Year after year we keep the same job, live in the same home, observe the same traditions.
When the Man from Galilee visits you and says, “Follow Me,” how do you respond? Turn His voice off as one more sales pitch? Listen halfheartedly and respond with a polite affirmative to get rid of Him? Agree to follow Him on some Sundays and when it seems convenient? Who is He? With what authority does He speak?
Admitting our lethargy and rebellion, we meet Him face to face, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world. We cannot follow on our own. But He has blazed the path of personal self-giving and death on a cross to pay for our sins. His call to follow carries with it the power for us to leave our nets and follow Him.
The adventure begins – loving Him, fishing for others to follow Him as well, finding new meaning and sparkle in our daily routines, living and loving with purpose and joy. Troubles and persecution may lie ahead. Temptations will abound. Other voices will try to lead us astray. But the forgiving, loving, empowering Man from Galilee continues to sound the gentle, life-changing call, FOLLOW ME!
PRAYER: Lord, help us to follow You. Amen.
(Devotions from “My Daily Devotion” by Dr. Stephen J. Carter, copyright 1988, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. For ordering information, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Job 28-29 Matthew 13:1-30
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