During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s writer is Yvonne Moody.
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. Mark 1:16-20
Have you ever stopped to think about the reality of what happened in this story? Here are these guys…ordinary hardworking guys going about their daily work. Fishermen doing labor intensive, and very unglamorous work.
How many family members were they trying to support? How long were their days? Did they even enjoy what they were doing? And then comes Jesus. He simply says “Come, follow me.” And they immediately stop what they are doing and follow him!
No arguing, no convincing, no rationalizing the risk versus return of the proposal. They just go “at once” and “without delay”. That took tremendous faith.
I sometimes wonder if I were in their shoes, would I have gotten the message? What did they see in Jesus that compelled them to follow Him without question?
It is hard to imagine putting ourselves in the position of those early disciples, but that is not what God is asking of us right now. God only asks us to believe – to have faith that with Jesus as our guide, we really can make a very simple choice to just trust that following Him will make our life better.
Does that mean that life will be easy or trouble free? Not at all. Each one of us will face obstacles in life. Some of them will seem insurmountable, but with Jesus by our side, all we really need to do is follow and He will help us to do the next right thing. One day at a time.
He will give us the courage to stand up for the marginalized, to comfort the lonely, and care for the sick. To share our faith with those we meet and to look for opportunities to serve.
I feel fortunate that I have never been asked to walk away from my family or my work to prove my faith, but I do have choices to make every day. When someone tells me of a sick relative or a difficult family situation, will I have the courage to say “I will pray for you” and then follow through and do just that? When I am asked to serve on a church committee or show up to help with an event, will I prioritize my time and be there when I am needed?
When Jesus calls will I follow?
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, You call us to listen, to trust, and then to act. Give us the courage to follow wherever you lead, and the strength to walk away from the things in life that distract us, and look toward you. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
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