Abandon

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

When Jesus called his disciples to him the common thread was that He asked them to abandon their former life and follow Him.

Not merely to add Him and His teaching to their daily lives, but to MAKE HIM their daily life.

Followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26) because their behavior, activity, and speech were like Christ. The word “Christian” literally means, “belonging to the party of Christ” or a “follower of Christ.”

Christ is calling us to do the same. Not many of us have the ability to quit work and do nothing but study His word, or go into full time ministry, but we can make the decision every morning to abandon our natural thoughts and seek to follow Him in all we do, think and say.

I admit I can very easily get caught up in the days events and needs and not always be looking and listening for His guidance. Are we following our internal GPS, or are we seeking the Lord’s direction as we go through the day?

Consider the following quote by Oswald Chambers from his book Studies in the Sermon on the Mount:

“The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.”