Verse: Matthew 4:20-22
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Devotion:
The first verse is picking back up with Peter and Andrew, the first disciples Jesus told to drop their nets and follow Him. Next, He does the same with the next two disciples, James and John. For all 4 disciples, Jesus tells them to stop what they are doing and to follow Him instead. They are immediately obedient, leaving everything to go with Him.
There’s a few key details to point out in these short verses. 1- the immediacy of their actions. They didn’t wait to finish what they were doing, they didn’t question Jesus. They immediately left what they were doing to follow Him. That brings us to 2- they left something behind. Enduring Word puts it this way “Following Jesus means leaving some things behind. The Samaritan woman left her pitcher, Matthew left his tax table, and blind Bartimaeus left his cloak to follow Jesus.” Just as these first disciples left their work, their nets, their boat, for James and John, even their father.
I would encourage you to spend some time sitting with these two points today, friend. It’s still relevant for us. Is there anything God is asking you to do that you’ve been stuck in indecision on? Are you questioning Jesus, waiting for the right timing, or doubting if He really wants you? Is there something He’s asking you to leave behind? Do you have to shed an old season of life, or give up something you cling to that makes you comfortable? These are HARD questions to sit with. About a year ago, I felt the Lord nudging me to be more involved with City Light. I thought surely the calling wasn’t meant for me, because my health is unpredictable and I can’t serve when I don’t know if I can show up. I questioned Jesus and was afraid to give up comfortably attending whenever I felt up to it. Thankfully, God knows what He’s doing and doesn’t give up on me. He led me to being more involved with our devotions team, a way to serve that isn’t reliant on my day to day health for attendance purposes. He knew what He was doing and was just waiting for me to step out in faith and follow Him. What does He want for you in this season of life?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your word and the way you use it to teach me. Help me to hear Your voice when You call me to follow You. Remind me that You see the big picture when I don’t. I can trust that when you nudge me to do something, it is for my good and serves a Kingdom purpose. Remind me that I can leave anything in this world to choose You, and that it will always be the right choice. Help me to be obedient, immediate, and sacrificial like Your first followers. We love you Lord, amen.
Author: Becca Artymenko
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