Answer the Call to Follow Jesus
“Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee. He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. These two men were fishermen, and they were throwing a net into the lake to catch fish. Jesus said to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.’ So they immediately left their nets and followed Jesus.
Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two more brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat, preparing their nets to catch fish. Their father Zebedee and the men who worked for him were in the boat with the brothers. When Jesus saw the brothers, he told them to come. They left their father and followed Jesus.”—Mark 1:16-20 (ERV)
The word “follow” that Jesus used when he called these men is a word that He only used when He was speaking to groups of people, not just one person. This call to follow Jesus is not exclusive. It is not limited to just a few special individuals. It is open to anyone who will hear and respond. The call was not just for those fishermen that day. He is calling you, too!
“In the past people did not understand God, and he overlooked this. But now he is telling everyone in the world to change and turn to him.”—Acts 17:30 (ERV)
When Jesus called those fishermen, His call came with a promise. “I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” He wasn’t asking them to follow Him for nothing. They would experience wonderful benefits as a result of following Jesus. In exchange for pursuing a relationship with Jesus, they would discover their identities—who they were born to be—and their purposes in life—what they were born to do! This is what Jesus offers you as one of the benefits of following Him!
Only Jesus offers this personal relationship and personal guidance to help you find your purpose and discover the person you were really meant to be! You will not find this offer, or this kind of help, anywhere else. Take Him up on His invitation. Following Jesus is your gateway to discovering yourself and your purpose in life!
Relationship. Not Religion.
Jesus’ call is not an invitation to follow a religion, or a message, or an organization. It is a personal invitation to follow a person, the person of Jesus. Follow Him. Your relationship with Him is everything. You may need to forget what you have been taught about religious practices, rituals and rules. Once you get to know Jesus for Who He really is, you may realize that He is very different from what you may have been taught, or what you may have believed about Him in the past.
Follow the person of Jesus. He is a living, dynamic person. He is the Son of God, and He is calling you to have a vibrant, living relationship directly with Him with no go-betweens involved. There is no one standing between you and Him telling you what to do or how to behave. There is just you and Him.
No Time to Waste!
Jesus’ call is an invitation, but it’s spoken imperatively. There are no options to do anything else. It’s spoken by Jesus as a command. And the command carries with it an immediacy, an urgency. “Come now!” In other words, doing something else, not following Jesus, is not an option. Going a different way, following a different path, not following Jesus, will only cause you to lose valuable time and will not lead to your true purpose and identity. There is no time to waste.
The same word “come” is used in Matthew 22:4 when the wedding banquet was prepared, and the king bid the invited guests to come to the feast. The feast is ready now! It is time now to come!
Again he sent other servants and said to them, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, the meal is all prepared. I’ve butchered the oxen and the fattened cattle. Now everything’s ready. Come to the wedding party!” ’—Matthew 22:4 (CEB)
In other words, “It’s time! Come now!” Just like the king who has prepared the lavish wedding banquet, Jesus is not inviting you to a life of misery and regret where you will barely survive on table scraps and starvation rations. He is inviting you to a feast that has been especially prepared with you in mind, to satisfy the deepest hunger of your soul.
What is it that you are truly, deeply thirsty for? Jesus calls you to come, follow, and find satisfaction and fulfillment.
“Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.’”—John 7:37 (NASB)
Come and Have Your Needs Met
Jesus’ call is not a bullying demand, but a gentle invitation to come and get your needs met. Every time Jesus used this word that is translated “follow” or “come” it was always with the idea of meeting the needs of people that would respond to his call. In different ways, he was saying, “Come, follow me, and your needs will be met.”
Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.”—John 21:12 (ERV)
“But many people were coming and going. So they did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said to his apostles, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. You need to get some rest.’”—Mark 6:31 (NIRV)
“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves.”—Matthew 11:28-29 (CEB)
An Invitation to Life!
Jesus’ call to follow Him is not a invitation to slavery, but an invitation to deep satisfaction and fulfillment. It is an invitation to finally discover the life that you were meant to live, and the person you were meant to become! The same word is used in Matthew 25:34 to invite those who are blessed by God to enter into the kingdom that had been prepared for them with all its glorious wonders!
“Then the king will say to the godly people on his right, ‘Come, my Father has great blessings for you. The kingdom he promised is now yours. It has been prepared for you since the world was made.’”—Matthew 25:34 (ERV)
Meet the Person Who Understands You Best
Jesus’ call is an invitation to finally meet and get to know the one person in the entire universe who understands you and your needs more completely and intimately than anyone else could—better than you know yourself! As the woman at the well exclaimed:
“Come. See a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could this be the Messiah?”—John 4:29 (NIRV)
Leave Your Old Life Behind
When Jesus called Simon and Andrew, they left their nets behind and followed Jesus. James and John even walked away from their father when Jesus called them. To really experience all that Jesus has for you, and fully enter into the new life that He offers you, you must be willing to step away from your old life and leave it behind. Are you willing to do that?
This doesn’t mean that you neglect your responsibilities, but in order to make room for the new life that you will experience with Jesus, you must be willing to part with the old. Are you willing? Are you ready?
Action Steps
When Simon, Andrew, James and John heard Jesus’ call to follow Him, they immediately took action. They dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. In the same way, when you make the decision to follow Jesus, it requires you to take action.
- Begin your relationship with Jesus by praying to Him. Tell Him that you have made a decision to answer His call to follow Him. Talk to Him in your own words. You can say something like this, “Jesus, I choose to answer your call. I choose to follow you.”
- Learn more about Jesus by reading His word—the Bible. If you do not own a Bible, you can read it online, in your own language, for free at: www.BibleGateway.com or download the app.
- Spend time with Jesus. Get to know Him and draw closer to Him by praying to Him. Talk to Him as you would talk with your best friend.
- He will lead you. Trust Him. Follow where He leads, and you will experience new life!
*“Give the Lord a chance to show you how good he is. Great blessings belong to those who depend on him!”—Psalm 34:8 (ERV) *
