“…then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him….” Mark 1:17-18 (NKJV)
The account of Mark, an apostle of Jesus Christ, shows us what it means to follow Jesus. We see Jesus meeting with Simon and Andrew, who were fishermen, and asking them to be a part of His mission. The Bible shows us that they left all they had—they left their jobs—and they started a journey with Jesus Christ. In fact, the scripture does not show that they had any objections or resistance to what they were supposed to be doing or who they would rather be. They just packed their things and started to follow him. The funny thing about the disciples of Jesus Christ was the fact that they didn’t know where they were going, they had no beautiful places to sleep or rest, and they were neither promised gold nor silver for following Jesus. All Jesus had to give them was the message of the kingdom, which they could not see with their eyes or hold with their hands. But they believed His message and followed Him without wanting material gain. They loved and enjoyed being in the presence of the Lord and had no worldly desires other than the salvation of their souls. The disciples of Jesus Christ took their focus off “self” and focused on the work of the Kingdom.
Now, these kinds of traits we see in the lives of the early disciples are very scarce in today’s world. Nowadays, you hardly find people who want to follow God without getting something in return. Most people would never willingly follow God unless they were given explanations and follow-up. Today’s Christianity is a far cry from what it used to be, and that is because every man is thinking about what he stands to gain. If he has nothing material to gain from God, then he has no time for God. People have become so blinded by their desire for material possessions that they will only go to a location where they can obtain it and will follow anyone who can promise them gold or silver. Beloved, we are children of God, and God wants us to follow willingly, not even out of necessity, but because we find joy being with Him, and most importantly, without reluctance. So follow the Lord today and do it with all your heart without reluctance, and you will be the one to enjoy it in the long run because our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Everyone who has given up houses, brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life…” Matthew 19:21 (NLT). Praise God!
Today’s Rhema
Don’t follow Christ because of what you want to get, follow Him because you love and appreciate Him!
Confession for the Day
I thank you Father because of the love that you have towards me. I declare that I am not selfish and neither is the love I have for you self-seeking. I do not follow you because of what I can get but because of who you are to me. I declare that my relationship with you is more important to me than any other thing in this world in the name of Jesus. Amen!
