“Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’’ – Matthew 4:19
As we continue to look at the process of becoming a disciple of Christ, we turn to the second step. In becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, it begins with Jesus coming to us. But it can’t end there. You say, “How do I know if I’m truly a disciple?
The second step should answer that question. Not only does Jesus come to us. Jesus changes us. When Jesus comes to you, He does so because He loves you. And because He loves you, He desires to change you. You see, prior to you knowing Jesus and before you followed Jesus, there was a lot that needed to be changed.
When Jesus came to Simon, he changes his name, and He gave him a new purpose. When He came to me as a young boy, He met me at my point of need, and He forgave me of my sins, changing my life from the inside out. And because of that, I am a different person with a different purpose today!
When Jesus says in Matthew 4:19, “Follow Me” that is another way of saying, “Change.” He says, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people.” He said, “Follow me and I will change you.”
Sometimes I feel like we miss what Jesus was really asking of them in that moment. He wasn’t saying, “Let’s go on a stroll and hang out for a few minutes.” He was asking them to abandon everything they knew—the things that were most important to them, what they relied on to pay their bills, and what they depended on to feed their family—Jesus was asking them, by faith, to pursue something they didn’t know. He was asking them to experience total abandonment and a full surrender to Him.
To be a disciple, Jesus will take the first step. He will come to you. But then He will ask you to follow Him. And in saying that, what He is essentially saying is, “change.” There might be things you have to give up or let go of along the way. But I promise it will be worth it. What is God asking you to change in order to follow Him?