18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20At once they left their nets and followed him.
21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22)
Thoughts: This is not a call to a profession, but a call to follow. It is a call to put the profession, the money, the family the things valuable to our security behind and take a step of faith. They had no way of knowing where they would go or how much it would cost them. The disciples had followed John earlier and had heard John point to Jesus as the Lamb of God. They were ready to go when Jesus came. His call was that He would give them something more meaningful than catching fish. When he called them they did not ask "How much are you going to pay?" Or, "What are the hours?" Or, "What are the benefits?" They asked no questions. They left "at once" (vs. 20) and "immediately" (vs. 22). When Christ calls us- and He will at some point- we do not weigh the nets or wonder if we can take our boat along.
Later (recorded in Mathew 8) Jesus would tell a parable about those God calls that do not answer. One volunteered to go, but wanted to know where he was staying. Jesus said he had no place to lay his head. Another said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." His father was still alive, but he wasn't willing to leave his father until he died. When God calls us, He doesn't offer us the false security of the world- no home, no inheritance. He does offer us His inheritance and the opportunity to do something that makes an eternal difference. We can make that difference no matter where we are. We can make that difference no matter what we do. We do not have to be professional clergy or full time Christian workers to make a difference for God. All we have to do is answer the call and be willing to drop everything and go.
Later (recorded in Mathew 8) Jesus would tell a parable about those God calls that do not answer. One volunteered to go, but wanted to know where he was staying. Jesus said he had no place to lay his head. Another said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." His father was still alive, but he wasn't willing to leave his father until he died. When God calls us, He doesn't offer us the false security of the world- no home, no inheritance. He does offer us His inheritance and the opportunity to do something that makes an eternal difference. We can make that difference no matter where we are. We can make that difference no matter what we do. We do not have to be professional clergy or full time Christian workers to make a difference for God. All we have to do is answer the call and be willing to drop everything and go.
Prayer: Lord, Give me ears to hear your call. Give me the will to answer.
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