Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” … As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. … [Matthew 4:19,9:9 (NLT)]
After deciding to explore a park we’d just discovered, I became apprehensive when no map was available on line or posted at the park. It’s not like we were going to get hopelessly lost on asphalt trails and a boardwalk; nevertheless, I was uncomfortable not knowing exactly where the trails would lead. Then again, I’m the sort of person who keeps all sorts of maps in her car, buys guidebooks, Map Quests a location, uses her GPS and never leaves home without a reservation. Admittedly, I’m also a person with a lousy sense of direction so I need all the help I can get!
Simon Peter, Andrew, John and James—they all abandoned their nets, boats, livelihoods, and even the day’s catch to follow Jesus! Later, Jesus called Matthew out of his tax collector’s booth and the taxman immediately followed. That these men responded to Jesus’ call and readily left their old lives behind is remarkable. More astonishing for me is that, after Jesus said, “Follow me,” none of them asked “Where?”
If someone told me to follow him, I’d be sure to inquire, “Where?” Then, I’d probably want to know the route we’d take, whether I’d like it there, when we’d return, where we’d be staying, and what we’d be doing whenever we got to wherever it was we were going. Before they dropped everything to follow Him, those disciples never asked Jesus their destination (or anything else, for that matter). I never even liked playing “Follow the Leader.” Yet, when the disciples blindly followed their leader, they weren’t playing a silly childhood game. The stakes were much higher and their lives were never the same.
When Jesus says, “Follow me!” He expects us to trust Him enough to do just that. Granted, it’s frightening to step into the unknown but the sheep don’t get to ask the shepherd where they’re going and neither do we. Moreover, following Jesus doesn’t mean fitting His plan into our lives; following Jesus means fitting our lives into His plan. Even without a compass, maps or GPS, we can never be lost when we’re following Him because He’ll never lead us astray. Moreover, while we may not know the route He’ll take, we do know we’ll be doing His work along the way. When we think about it, we also know that our final destination is well worth the trip!
The Philistine army, hoping to capture King David, raided the valley of Rephaim. Before responding to the attack, David stopped and asked God what action he should take. He didn’t present his battle plan for God’s consideration nor did he take action before receiving God’s instruction. God told David to go to battle, assuring him of victory over the Philistines. When the battle went as God had promised, David wisely did not take credit for the victory. “God did it!” he exclaimed, giving credit where credit was due. The Philistines, however, returned and raided the valley again. Although David had previously defeated them, he didn’t assume a similar victory the second time. Again, the shepherd king paused, looked to God for his battle plan and listened to His advice. This time, God gave him a new strategy, telling David to circle his army around behind the Philistines and wait for a sound like marching feet in the trees before attacking. David followed God’s advice and was victorious once again.
It’s a matter of perspective. When in Egypt, the Israelites hated being slaves to their cruel masters yet, every time they faced danger or difficulty, they longed to return there. This past March, my Florida friends wore gloves, jackets, and hats and complained of the cold when the temperature fell to 60 degrees. That same month, we were in the mountains of Colorado. When it got to 60 degrees there, off came the hats, gloves and jackets and people ate outside! Yesterday, my mother-in-law commented on the unseasonable heat in Illinois—it was 80 degrees! On the other hand, when it only got to 80 here in Florida, the weatherman called it “unseasonably cool.” It’s a matter of perspective.
Today, I thought again about that handful of dirt in the farmer’s hand and remembered the creation story. God scooped up a handful of soil, breathed life into it and made man. I don’t care whether the words are figurative or literal or if they support the creationist or evolutionary points of view. All I know is that God made something out of nothing then and continues to do so now!
According to the Boston Globe, the college class of 2015 graduated with an average of over $35,000 in student debt. That’s a mammoth $56 billion in student debt, giving them the dubious honor of being the most indebted class in history. It’s likely that honor will pass to the class of 2016 come June. While a few occupations may qualify for student loan forgiveness programs, one way or another, that debt must be repaid. Recent college grads aren’t the only ones in debt. According to NerdWallet, the average American household carries nearly $131,000 in debt for such things as student loans, credit cards, mortgages, and both auto and personal loans. Even if we are fortunate enough to have no personal debt, the national debt of over nineteen trillion dollars still weighs heavily on each and every one of us. With a nation that has clearly spent more than it can afford, it’s too bad we no longer follow the laws in Deuteronomy for the Israelites that prohibited charging interest and canceled all debts every seven years.
Devotions of the Heart 