Follow Me
Jesus' first call to his disciples is short, direct and still open.
Mark 1:17NIV
Mark 1:17. Walking beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sees two brothers casting a net and says to them, in the NIV's words, "Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people." Simon and Andrew leave their nets at once. A little further along, James and John leave their father in the boat with the hired men.
The call does not begin with a syllabus or a set of qualifications. It begins with a person. Follow me. Whatever the disciples would later understand about the kingdom, the cross and the resurrection, it all began with walking behind Jesus and watching him.
That is still the shape of discipleship. Doctrine matters and obedience matters, but they grow out of a relationship in which Christ leads and we follow. On a Saturday morning, with fewer demands than usual, ask where he is walking today, and whether your feet are pointed the same way. He promises to make something of those who come. The nets can wait.
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