To Follow Christ

“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18-22

What is discipleship? It is the complete surrender and personal dedication of our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Does God call every believer into discipleship? What do you think? Has God called you to be a disciple? How have you responded to that call? What have you done about it?

God does not make us obey Him. Neither is He like the sergeant who says to his recruits, “I can’t make you follow orders, but I can sure make you wish you had.” We may come to regret our rebellion or our lack of faith which kept us from following Christ. If we resist the Lord’s call to discipleship, we may regret our lost opportunities.

Oswald Chambers, so aptly states, “The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon - no calculation, no trace of self-interest.”

Do you recognize the choice which stands before you? God wants to develop in you that element which Adam lost when he sinned. Jesus says His will is to do the will of the Father. How about you?

The challenge -
Come after Me. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Me.