Day 1
The passage I read was Matthew 4:18-22
You can find that passage here:
My summary of the passage is this:
In this passage we
see Jesus gathering some of his disciples.
He chose 4 fishermen here, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. As he comes across each set of brothers
fishing (which was their job/source of income) He calls to them telling them to
follow Him. Both times, the brothers
immediately drop what they are doing and begin following after Jesus.
As I reflect:
John 1:35-42 and Luke 5:3 both indicate previous encounters these
brothers had with Jesus. One encounter
hearing that He is the “Lamb of God” and the other encounter being the miracle
of full nets after a day of null. I think one of the most important things that
can be taken from this is the unyielding devotion to following after and
learning from the Lord. Notice that upon
each encounter the brothers immediately dropped what they were doing and began
following after Jesus. There was no
question of whether or not this was the Messiah. They knew this was no ordinary Rabbi. This particular teacher wasn’t questioned by
them as to how he would provide food for them or what the benefit of learning
from Him would be. These questions
didn’t exist. Only the excitement of
being called to follow after the Son of God.
At this call, they left everything behind. They didn’t bring any fishing nets with them
to follow after God. They didn’t
hesitate. And it’s not like they were
just sitting around waiting on a teacher because they were poor. They were involved in a lucrative
business. As a matter of fact, Zebedee’s
family employed others. They followed
after the Lord because they were honored by the calling and they knew that they
were being called by a King. So it is
with us, that when we are called, we should know that many times it is required
that we leave things behind to follow after God (namely, the “old you”) and
take hold of the new life He has for us.
We should not hesitate or put off chasing after God. Let no excuse hinder you from being in the
service of the King of Kings. Rest
assured you are called. Will you answer
appropriately? Do you realize what you
are being offered in the calling?
My response to the Lord:
Almighty and eternal God, protector of all who put their
trust in thee, may you accept my life as a living sacrifice. You are worthy of so much more than I
give. Here I read of those that are my
examples and how they simply left everything behind to follow after you full
heartedly. I want to be so devoted to
you that nothing else in this world could matter more. Not T.V., beauty rest, comfort, pride, or any
of the many other traps the enemy attempts to use to keep me from following
after you. Lord, I put you first in my
life. You are the very center of my
relationship with my wife and with my kids.
You are the cause of my character growth and all things good in me. You are the reason I rise to face each day
and you are the reason I step out of my comfort zone. You are my everything Father. May I let no excuse ever hinder me from
giving you my full measure of devotion.
Empower me in this, that I may be useful in bringing nearer the kingdom,
In Jesus name.
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