Come Follow Jesus

COME FOLLOW ME, JESUS SAID, AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN Matthew 4.19

A few of us, members of our church, were having a discussion during supper after our Home fellowship. The topic was interesting. A friend insisted that following Jesus Christ will and should bring health, wealth and prosperity. He said, all the Old Testament patriarchs and other saints were all immensely rich. It should be the pattern for all Christians today. If not, why should we have all the good promises of the Bible? If we live godly lives then we shouldn’t suffer any deprivation or disease!

This, by the way, is a ‘shallow belief ‘ that is unfortunately being taught and propagated by many today! We ignorantly neglect the stark reality of millions of Christians suffering and dying of starvation and disease in the poor nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Whatever the Old Testament promised, when the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world, it was the Lord of Glory assuming the lowly state of a poor carpenter’s son in Galilee. He never knew wealth or prosperity. When a well-to-do lawyer told Jesus, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go”, Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (Mt 8.19,20).

Dear believer, the call of Jesus is clear “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." However, some of today’s affluent Christians of our wealthy nations are more interested in Jesus Christ making them healthy, wealthy and prosperous rather than following His footsteps and becoming like Him . We are more keen in enjoying our own lives than wanting the Lord to make us ‘fishers of men’, reaching out to the lost men, women and children around us! Seek first God’s kingdom and follow Jesus everyday and He will take care of you if you trust Him!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, whatever wrong notions I had about following You or becoming a Christian, I cast them away. I hear Your call afresh, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." I commit myself to following You and reaching others. Amen.