I remember well my two boys learning to walk. They were both walking by 9 months. At that time, I thought it was exciting that they were walking so early, but soon after those first few steps, I realized it could be a bad thing. Now they needed my constant attention. There were too many things they could get into quickly. Things that could harm them, things that could make a huge mess, and things they could destroy that were not theirs. No longer were they in my arms to move from place to place. No longer did they hold to my finger for balance to travel. No longer were they following close to me, but they were exploring on their own. So much of the time this is the way we are in our walk with Jesus. Those first few steps as a follower we hold on tight to His hand. We read, study, and pray so we will take the right steps. We need to hold His hand for balance, but in time we feel more confident, and things become familiar. We begin to walk out of habit rather than feeling the need to walk close so that we can hold on.
When Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John in Mark 1:16-20 He saw them fishing. They were fishermen by trade, but Jesus had a greater purpose for their lives. He would make them fishers of men. When He asks them to follow Him, He informed them of a new avenue of life they would take. He would empower them to be a witness of who He was, and they would win people to Him. Notice in verse 20 they obeyed immediately. Jesus uses followers that completely trust Him. He uses those who don’t hesitate. An unstable follower isn’t a true follower at all, and they will do more harm to the kingdom than those who don’t believe. Those who are wishy-washy in their faith cannot convey who Jesus is and how to know Him because their actions will speak louder than their words. They are like the person James talks about in James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” I am thankful these men obeyed, and their lives were changed forever. If they had not obeyed and left everything, they would never have known the blessings that come with obedience to Christ. I wonder how many souls would be lost if they had not obeyed.
Mark 1:16-20 “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.”
In Matthew 9:9 we see Matthew, a tax collector at his work. Matthew had a job that was hated by most, I’m sure. He collected taxes, but tax collectors were known to over collect and keep what was above what the government required. Leaving his job would mean a change of lifestyle economically and spiritually.
Matthew 9:9 “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.”
We find the account of the rich young ruler in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He calls Jesus “good,” Jesus questions Him about why He called Him good. The conversation advances to how this rich young man can become a follower of Jesus. All seemed in order as far as keeping commandments, but when Jesus tells Him to sell all and follow, the young man goes away sorrowful. He was not willing to abandon all for Christ. He would not put Christ first, and therefore Christ would not grant him eternal life.
Luke 18:20-23 “Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich”
We must be willing to deny ourselves and all that we have to follow Christ. This doesn’t mean we will have to live impoverished, but we must love Jesus so much that everything else pales in comparison to our love for Him. Having Jesus as our Lord and Savior means He is in control of the choices we make. It means that God’s word is our authority in every part of our lives. We are called to be followers! We are to follow closely so that we are connected. Holding His hand like my sons when they were learning to walk. When we don’t hold on tightly, we can make a huge mess out of our lives, we can enter danger zones that are harmful to our faith. When we don’t focus on following closely, our focus will lead to other things and soon, the one we were supposed to be following will be out of sight. We need to remember that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and only by following closely will we inherit eternal life with Him.
Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
