The other day I was reading in a Devotional and the author was commenting on this verse: "Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:19 - 20. The author wrote the following:
Jesus calls us to Himself with a purpose in mind: that we can reach others with the Good News. The disciples had to give up something in order to follow Jesus. Is Jesus calling you to give up something in order to be a fully devoted follower?
So why do I have a concern about this? I will save my comments about the purpose for another time but I will comment on the giving up of something. Yes Jesus calls us to give up something but not just a thing. He calls us to give up our very lives. As Bonhoeffer said, "When Jesus calls us He calls us to come and die." When we give up something we feel that since we have given up something for God then He is indebted to us. When we give up our lives then we owe Him our very life. Too many people think that because they have given up something to follow God then God is in their debt. When we realize that if we give up something it is only giving up what is not really ours in the first place.
Jesus has not called us to give up something to follow Him, He as called us to give up everything.
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