February 11, 2025

Scarlett Kiowski
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
Matthew 4:18-22

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times, “be quick to obey.” If you are a mom, you probably have a few phrases that you are known for at your house. If you’ve visited my house, it’s likely you’ve heard me say, “be quick to obey” or “delayed obedience is disobedience”. We all know when these phrases are needed in one’s home!

In today’s passage, Jesus didn’t have to tell Peter and Andrew to be quick to obey. It says, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” Same with James and John, “and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”  They didn’t hesitate or question Jesus instead they obeyed. Jesus was gathering His disciples so that they could reach the nations. He said, “Come, follow me…and I will send you out to fish for people.”  My hope is that we respond to Jesus in the same way, with urgency. The disciples had to leave behind what was familiar to them, their source of income, their livelihood in order to obey Jesus. What behavior, mindset, insecurity do you need to leave behind today in order to reach the lost?