"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.
What if Jesus asked me to give up my career? What would I say? What would I do? How would I explain it to my wife and family? Would I say no?
The disciples here literally drop everything they know and are comfortable with at Jesus' offer. I have always been amazed by this. They were giving up their livelihoods, their means of sustenance, and what they had been doing from an early age to live a life of uncertainty. They were definitely leaving their comfort zones and safety nets to follow.
I do not do well with uncertainty. I am an accountant. I like organization, schedules, plans, and consistency. I love being in my comfort zone. Don't dare get me out of it, I might go crazy. I am a person who needs things to go a certain way - a life of predictability.
In a way, I believe we are all like that. We don't like disruption to our lives. We want each day to go according to our plans with no deviations and if there are - deviations which are minor. We want to be comfortable.
That's the way I am in my following of Jesus at times. I want a Jesus that doesn't take me out of my comfort zone. A Jesus who gives me a wink or nod regarding some of my sins. A Jesus like a warm blanket - keeping me safe and warm without a care in the world. Keeps me in surroundings that are safe and predictable. A Jesus who doesn't inspect me fully inside and out. A Jesus whose commands and promises I can pick and choose depending on how comfortable they make me.
Especially those commands of his. It can be easy to look at some of them and assume he is talking to others, not me. He's talking to others who are worse than me or are more spiritually gifted than I. Definitely, he must be talking to them.
When Jesus says in Matthew 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". Yes, there he is talking to me.
Jesus promises us that we will have abundant life - I'm down with that too.
However, he commands us to make disciples of all nations - that I am sure he's talking to those gifted with evangelism.
Finally, he says "Anyone who doesn't carry his cross and follow me can't be my disciple". Now, I know he has to definitely has to be talking to other people.
Why do I do this? Maybe you are the same way like me at times. To acknowledge all of Jesus' comments are for us, might take us out of our places of "security" and into "uncertainty".
If we decide to take Jesus and pare him down into our version of Comfy Jesus, we are totally missing out. We sell short our dependence on Him as our Savior. We miss out on wonderful opportunities in following Him. Also, we miss out on dealing with the sin that consumes us because we choose to ignore it or think "Jesus doesn't really think it's a big deal". We can't just pick and choose what we want to follow from Jesus and be true disciples. Jesus is not a new car. We don't test drive him and decide which options we like, and which ones we don't.
We want Jesus as our friend, and he is our friend. But, we want him like any of our friends at times. One who overlooks our sins and just wants to hang out and have a good time. Jesus is so much more than that!!! He is such a friend. He wants what's best for us, even if we don't see that or agree with it. Especially with sin. Yes, dealing with sin can be painful, it can make us uncomfortable - but if not dealt with it can be fatal. Jesus, as Lord of our lives, wants to deal with that. Because of his nature, he will not ignore it - as much as we might try. Like any disease left untreated, sin will grow and corrupt more aspects of our lives. This would lead to our destruction. In the same way, healing could involve some pain, discomfort, and rehabilitation. Ultimately, we will come out better and healthier from the cure.
When we are called to follow Him, we are being called to roads where we don't see the ending. We are taken to places we never imagined. We will travel to areas where our vision of God becomes bigger and more amazing than we ever thought possible. Some of these travels may make us feel uncomfortable initially and there may be pain in the journey. All but one of Jesus' disciples were martyred. People have died an earthly death in following Jesus throughout the years and all over the world. I'm not saying if you aren't a martyr your faith is lacking. But every example of those who followed has ended with people being taken out of their comfort zones. From Abraham, to Moses, to David and Elijah. From Peter, Paul, and the other disciples - all were called to adventures they didn't know the ending and had to place their trust in God to see them through. They stepped out in faith, when called to follow. How can we expect to do any less if we are his disciples?
In the same way, we need to fix our eyes on the real Jesus and not our comfy version. My recommendation is to explore his word, listen for his voice (really do that), and place our trust that he has the best for it even when we cant see it. It's not the easiest thing to do. We want to feel safe and comfy - trusting in what we see and hear right in front of us. I struggle mightily at times when I follow. Uncertainty does that. But one thing is certain: God will not call you to places where his grace and mercy are insufficient for you. That is what I remind myself. And I have to do that constantly because I forget that thought more times than I like to admit. Yet, God continues to provide the strength for our needs. That we can become comfy in.
What if Jesus asked me to give up my career? What would I say? What would I do? How would I explain it to my wife and family? Would I say no?
The disciples here literally drop everything they know and are comfortable with at Jesus' offer. I have always been amazed by this. They were giving up their livelihoods, their means of sustenance, and what they had been doing from an early age to live a life of uncertainty. They were definitely leaving their comfort zones and safety nets to follow.
I do not do well with uncertainty. I am an accountant. I like organization, schedules, plans, and consistency. I love being in my comfort zone. Don't dare get me out of it, I might go crazy. I am a person who needs things to go a certain way - a life of predictability.
In a way, I believe we are all like that. We don't like disruption to our lives. We want each day to go according to our plans with no deviations and if there are - deviations which are minor. We want to be comfortable.
That's the way I am in my following of Jesus at times. I want a Jesus that doesn't take me out of my comfort zone. A Jesus who gives me a wink or nod regarding some of my sins. A Jesus like a warm blanket - keeping me safe and warm without a care in the world. Keeps me in surroundings that are safe and predictable. A Jesus who doesn't inspect me fully inside and out. A Jesus whose commands and promises I can pick and choose depending on how comfortable they make me.
Especially those commands of his. It can be easy to look at some of them and assume he is talking to others, not me. He's talking to others who are worse than me or are more spiritually gifted than I. Definitely, he must be talking to them.
When Jesus says in Matthew 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". Yes, there he is talking to me.
Jesus promises us that we will have abundant life - I'm down with that too.
However, he commands us to make disciples of all nations - that I am sure he's talking to those gifted with evangelism.
Finally, he says "Anyone who doesn't carry his cross and follow me can't be my disciple". Now, I know he has to definitely has to be talking to other people.
Why do I do this? Maybe you are the same way like me at times. To acknowledge all of Jesus' comments are for us, might take us out of our places of "security" and into "uncertainty".
If we decide to take Jesus and pare him down into our version of Comfy Jesus, we are totally missing out. We sell short our dependence on Him as our Savior. We miss out on wonderful opportunities in following Him. Also, we miss out on dealing with the sin that consumes us because we choose to ignore it or think "Jesus doesn't really think it's a big deal". We can't just pick and choose what we want to follow from Jesus and be true disciples. Jesus is not a new car. We don't test drive him and decide which options we like, and which ones we don't.
We want Jesus as our friend, and he is our friend. But, we want him like any of our friends at times. One who overlooks our sins and just wants to hang out and have a good time. Jesus is so much more than that!!! He is such a friend. He wants what's best for us, even if we don't see that or agree with it. Especially with sin. Yes, dealing with sin can be painful, it can make us uncomfortable - but if not dealt with it can be fatal. Jesus, as Lord of our lives, wants to deal with that. Because of his nature, he will not ignore it - as much as we might try. Like any disease left untreated, sin will grow and corrupt more aspects of our lives. This would lead to our destruction. In the same way, healing could involve some pain, discomfort, and rehabilitation. Ultimately, we will come out better and healthier from the cure.
When we are called to follow Him, we are being called to roads where we don't see the ending. We are taken to places we never imagined. We will travel to areas where our vision of God becomes bigger and more amazing than we ever thought possible. Some of these travels may make us feel uncomfortable initially and there may be pain in the journey. All but one of Jesus' disciples were martyred. People have died an earthly death in following Jesus throughout the years and all over the world. I'm not saying if you aren't a martyr your faith is lacking. But every example of those who followed has ended with people being taken out of their comfort zones. From Abraham, to Moses, to David and Elijah. From Peter, Paul, and the other disciples - all were called to adventures they didn't know the ending and had to place their trust in God to see them through. They stepped out in faith, when called to follow. How can we expect to do any less if we are his disciples?
In the same way, we need to fix our eyes on the real Jesus and not our comfy version. My recommendation is to explore his word, listen for his voice (really do that), and place our trust that he has the best for it even when we cant see it. It's not the easiest thing to do. We want to feel safe and comfy - trusting in what we see and hear right in front of us. I struggle mightily at times when I follow. Uncertainty does that. But one thing is certain: God will not call you to places where his grace and mercy are insufficient for you. That is what I remind myself. And I have to do that constantly because I forget that thought more times than I like to admit. Yet, God continues to provide the strength for our needs. That we can become comfy in.
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