Follow me...

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. Matthew 4:19, 20

It’s a dangerous and exciting phrase, “follow me”; an invitation to go on a journey with someone you trust and love. When I was younger, I used to play a simple childhood game known as “follow the leader”. One person was designated as the leader and was in charge of leading a line of participants over obstacles and along paths to see if everyone could keep up and truly keep in step with the leader. I was out of shape and one of the nervous types so I never lasted long in the game. I wasn’t very good at leading as well because I did not want to take any risks.

This invitation from Jesus to his future disciples was a simple request with very few details except the promise to teach them something they had never before experienced… “fishing for people”. I often wonder why they just left immediately and followed without any questions? Were they more courageous than most? Were they dissatisfied with their lives? Were they looking for something or maybe someone to give them meaning and purpose?

If Jesus were here today, among us, I believe He would sound the clarion call to “follow”, and it would require you and I to trust Him and to believe that He knows what He is doing and where He is going. “Follow me” should scare us and create wonder and intrigue in us. Jesus calls out to those He loves and invites us to trust Him; He has been calling out to His creation since the beginning of time. Many of us resist the calling and choose other voices to pay attention to or wander down other pathways that ultimately lead to no where!

Jesus said in John 14:6… “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. “ (the Message Bible)

If Jesus is the “road” then it would make sense to choose to follow Him because He knows where He is taking us and where we need to go. Jesus is truth and always tells the truth. Jesus gives life and gives it to anyone who asks Him for it. In a world that seeks to rob us of our God-created identity, it is time to stop following the ideas and ideology of this world and seek to follow Jesus. He knows where we need to go and is willing to get us there, safely and securely!

“First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life.” -Jesus, Matthew 8:22 (The Message Bible)