Journey through the New Testament – Day 9 – “Four Fishermen Follow Jesus” – Scripture comes from Matthew 4:18-22.

In this text we find Jesus calling Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew as well as James and John to come follow him and become fishers of men, helping others find God.

Here is what stood out to me as I read this scripture…Peter and Andrew… their living, their source of income was fishing and they willingly left that to follow Jesus. We can see in the scripture that Peter and Andrew already knew Jesus (John 1:35-42) so most likely they had already been pondering and contemplating .. their words turned into action when they stood before Jesus face to face. I saw this played out on TV in the series “The Bible” and when Peter asks “What do we do now?” And Jesus says “Change the World!” I had to let out a big “YES!!” (I absolutely LOVE that scene!) If I’m going to be totally transparent – this story makes me do personal inventory. My heart and my soul want to change the world! (Or at least my little corner). If only I could just leave corporate America and follow Jesus totally leading wherever he takes me that day. (Well yeah, wouldn’t that make life easier) But the reality is most of us work, and If we’re not careful, we can get so focused on “the daily grind” that we forget to stop and share Jesus. I’ve got a sticker on my computer screen “Aware” – because I need to work on that some days. Am I here putting in a work day, getting frustrated at times and letting my flesh rule, or am I putting in a work day and being aware of those around me? Am I letting my light shine? In transparency, work is the hardest place for me to keep that light shining bright some days. Can I get a witness? It’s not that I don’t love the folks I work with – I do! It’s MY personality that is the issue. I’m a bit of a perfectionist – I can get so focused on the task at hand (and maybe get a bit intense at times) that I have to remember to stop and take a deep breath and ask myself if others are seeing Kris or Jesus. How about you? As you go about your day are you fishing for men – or just fishing?

And then there’s James and John. It said they were in their boat repairing their nets and they immediately followed Jesus and LEFT the boat and their father behind. What came to my mind was the people who break the generational curses. The one who becomes the first in their family to fight the lies of the enemy saying “Jesus can’t love you – you’ve done too much wrong. You come from a long line of sinners. You might as well just accept that’s who you are and stay in the boat.” Sometimes that decision to follow Jesus can be a lonely decision where there has to be as much trust in Jesus as James and John had. I’ve heard stories of fathers disowning sons or making fun of them for becoming a Christian. The decision to leave your family behind in the boat of sin can be a tough one. But if you keep walking it out, keep seeking Jesus – he can reform, mend and restore families and relationships. Our hope is always in Jesus!

So glad to have you with me on this journey! And always feel free to share if the scripture sticks out to you for some reason. We’re in this journey together – to learn from each other and encourage one another.