Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20
It has been said that most people let go of their New Year’s Resolutions after three weeks. That is not much time at all! Now, experts have spent a lot of time studying and searching for reasons why this is true, and I am sure they are much more eloquent and profound than anything I could say, but I have one idea why most resolutions do not stick. I think that these do not stick due to a lack of commitment. I think that the people who do not stick with their goals, for one reason or another, are not truly committed to the hard work required to make those changes.
Jesus’ disciples demonstrate for us a prime example of what it looks like to be fully committed followers of Jesus, fully embracing the new stories Jesus wrote for them. In Matthew 4, we read about Jesus’ call to some of these first disciples. The first two disciples that Jesus called in this chapter were brothers Peter and Andrew, fishing. Jesus called them and said, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people” (verse 19). Next, he called two more brothers, James and John, who were fishing with their dad to follow Him. This was a radical call. Jesus called these men to leave everything behind, their family, their livelihood, and everything familiar to them, to follow Him. Yet both sets of brothers instantly listened to this call and followed Him. Not only this, but they demonstrated, for the rest of their lives, their commitment to Christ, even during persecution and hardship, for their relationships with Christ.
Just like Jesus’ call to His disciples was a call for them to be fully committed, His call to each one of us is a call to commitment. When we encounter Christ, and He changes our stories, we are called to be fully committed to Him. This commitment allows us to embrace the stories fully He has written for us and the ways He has changed our lives.
Take a few minutes to evaluate your life. Are you living your life fully committed to Christ? Is anything holding you back? If so, what is it? How has this thing kept you from fully living out your faith? Is there one step you can take to let go of what is holding you back from being fully committed? Then, make a plan to take that step beginning today.
Matthew 4:18-25 (NLT)
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.
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