follow me :: risk

Shortly after Jesus started his ministry, He gathered 12 men to travel with Him, be at His side, be His team. I’ve always found it fascinating how the Bible says that basically Jesus said, “Follow Me,” and they just did.

In Matthew and Mark, it says that Jesus called and immediately they started following. Like a no questions asked kind of thing.

Luke’s account gives a little more description and makes a little more sense in my mind. Jesus sat down in the boat, began teaching, and then performed a miracle of so many fish in Simon’s net that it was overflowing. After that, Simon followed.

John’s account says that Jesus was recognized from their reading of Moses’ account in the Scriptures.

Whether it was immediate, after witnessing a miracle, or because they knew Scripture, the decision of the disciples to follow Jesus took some amount of risk. It took giving up a trade to a life of ministry. It took venturing into the unknown.

I’ve said it several times in this risk series. Ultimately it comes down to obedience. God prepares our hearts and speaks to us. It then comes down to us. We can decide to listen and obey or not.

I feel like our current journey has involved a bit of all three responses. God spoke and we said, “Ok, we’re moving out.” Then He performed an amazing miracle. Even if He didn’t perform a miracle, we knew we could trust His direction, because He sees a bigger picture, and because His character is one of goodness and love. I know it sounds crazy to some, but I’d rather obey God and risk what it might look like on the outside. He’s worth following.