Follow Me
by David Silvester
After the call to come, the call of Jesus is a challenge to follow Him. The challenge of this invitation is that He wants to instruct us and show us how we can spread the ‘Good News of the Kingdom’.
Jesus was calling Andrew and Peter to be ‘fishers of men,’ This means they were to cast the net of the Gospel far and wide in order to bring others into the Kingdom of God. It might be that we’re called to be ‘fishers of men.’ As we go about our own daily duties we never know who we might be able to lead to Jesus as we tell them about Him.
Following Jesus is an act of commitment and trust. Simon Peter and Andrew had no idea of what ‘following Jesus’ would lead to, but the call ‘Follow me’ was a challenge they both responded to. There was obviously something special that drew them to Jesus, causing them to leave their fishing nets to follow Him.
We learn from the Gospels that Peter was an impetuous and impulsive person, while Andrew was a more quiet and observant type (John 6:8-9). Jesus calls all types of people to be His followers.
Initially, we may not fully understand what this call and challenge involves, where He might lead, and what situations we will encounter. It was later on that Jesus explained how being a ‘follower’, a disciple, could be costly. He never promised that it would be an easy road (Matthew 7:14), but He did promise that help would be given in difficult situations (Matthew 10:19). The challenge of the invitation is that we ‘follow Him’, whatever lies in store, for He always knows what is best for our lives.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, as I hear Your call and face the challenge to follow You, give me the boldness to leave behind those things that would be a hindrance, and enable me to take up the challenge obediently. Amen.
David Silvester is married and has a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. He trained as a production engineer. He then moved on to become a lecturer of engineering craft skills before being called of God in his early fifties to become a pastor of a Baptist church. He says that,"having previously experienced an amazing healing on a day others expected me to die, it came as no surprise that God directed me and my wife, Margaret, to become involved with Ellel Ministries."
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