Monday, July 10, 2023

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Follow Christ

 



   

Matthew 4:19
"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

    Not all fishermen use lures. Some use nets. Some use spears. But those fish are meant to be eaten. 
    When a Christian goes fishing, they are the bait. The Love of God exemplified in Christ in us is the lure. God is the Fisherman. The Holy Spirit is the line...and the net. The fish are the people who have yet to hear and believe and receive the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. 
    How does Christ make us fishers of men (mankind)? Through our faith in God; by trusting in Christ as our Saviour and allowing The Holy Spirit to mold us into holy people. 
    It is not enough to believe that God is. Everyone believes in some kind of god, even those who believe there is no God believe their own words to be true: making themselves their own god. Some will even go so far as to believe that some of the Holy Bible is true, picking and choosing verses as if they were shopping in some spiritual grocer's. 
    "Follow Me", Jesus says. "Follow Me wherever I go. Let Me lead you through valleys, valleys dark, valleys dense. Let Me tend to your needs and nourishment. Let Me carry you when the Way in which we must go is too difficult to walk alone or too deep to swim across. 
    "Follow Me to the synagogues, to the temples, to the people who need to hear My Father's Words. To the people who are searching for The Word of Life. To the people who are hungry for The Bread of Heaven and The Living Water. 
    "Follow Me to the needy, the poor, the broken, the lonely, the desperate, the tormented, the possessed. Follow Me to the hurting, the weeping, the judged, the dead and dying. 
    "Follow Me to the courtyard. Watch Me remain silent and behave in like manner. Follow Me to the cross when you take up your cross. Follow Me to the grave and enter My garden.
    "Follow Me and I will walk with you. Follow Me and I will talk with you. Follow Me and I will sing over you. 
    "Follow Me," Jesus says, "and I will make you fishers of men."

I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
I Give Myself Away - Wm. McDowell
I Found God (When I Stopped Looking For Myself) - Ben Laine
I Will Follow - Chris Tomlin
My Soul Follows - David & Nicole Binion ft. Travis Greene
I Have Decided - Forerunner Music/Jaye Thomas