And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
Mark 1:17
In Mark we find Christ meeting Simon and Andrew as they were casting fishing nets into the sea. He challenges them to follow Him, and they spend a couple of weeks making their decisions-figuring if it would cost them financially, determining if it would damage their reputations.
Wrong. Simon and Andrew immediately left the nets and followed Him. They instantly recognized Christ's authority in their lives.
I believe that one of the reasons why we don't see more people leaving their nets and following Christ is because we in the Church have not presented the authentic, real, living Lord Jesus in all of His splendor, majesty and glory. When we see Him for who He is, no possession, no worldly honor or success can compare with the King of kings.
Not all who see Jesus continue following Him. John 6 records that, after Christ made some difficult and challenging statements, "Many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore" (v. 66). Then Jesus says to the remaining 12, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" (v. 67).
And Peter makes a profound statement: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life" (v. 68). He had come to the conclusion that there was no other to follow.
The longer I am in the Christian life, the more I see there is nothing else that matters other than Jesus Christ and His Word. In recent days I've asked Him to infuse my life with the conviction that He alone is worth following.
Prayer: That you will grow in your hunger and thirst for knowing the One who has the words of eternal life.
Discuss: Do you know of someone who has withdrawn and no longer follows Jesus? How has that decision affected his or her life? And those around him or her? Have you left your nets to follow Jesus?
3 comments:
"Lord, to whom shall we go?" My prayer recently has also been that the Lord would fill every aspect of my life and help me to somehow learn to apture every thought captive for Him. Think about the magnitude of this.
Blessings to all,
cas
i thought this statement was interesting..."Many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore". i guess i never pictured something like that happening. but then i thought, it certainly happens today, why couldnt it then?
what also hit me here was the concept of "leadership". i am always trying to figure out how i can be a better leader. to be persuasive. to get lots of people to follow me. but here is an example of Jesus, the ultimate leader, who has people walk away from him. who has people deny him. who has people crucify him. so it has made me think that it's ok if not every word i say is followed, if not every person lines up behind me. i just need to keep following Jesus, working for Him, and not worry so much if not every person doesnt follow me.
TRD, Good comments. I like your comments on leadership. Churches today are all about the numbers. We as Americans are programmed to think that successful ministries have large numbers of people and money and buildings. When Christ himself focused on 12 disciples, 12.
I'm praying this prayer for us all
Prayer: That you will grow in your hunger and thirst for knowing the One who has the words of eternal life.
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