Weatherproof – 4
Follow Me
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Matthew 4:18-19
The 4th way to weatherproof your life is to follow Jesus.
Do you remember one or two of the umpteen million times in your childhood when a parent or guardian would call to you and say, “Come here!” There you were, right in the middle of a Bugs Bunny or Yosemite Sam cartoon, and the call would come from the next room or down the hall. The call was almost never convenient for you. I don’t have to remind you how the situation played out. We all remember…
The point, though, is that when they called, when did they expect you to obey? When it was convenient for you? Ha, no way. They called and expected you to come right then. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn’t.
The phrase Jesus uses here to call His disciples is much like a parent calling to a child to “come here.” It is an imperative, crucial, immediate. It was a command, not a question. He didn't say, "If you follow Me…" He said, "follow me."
The disciples dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. They recognized what we sometimes miss, and we have missed it since we were kids being summoned by parents. We are not lone rangers in life, first, when we are children in our parents home, we are under authority—theirs. And then, when we are fully grown, God is the Authority, and when He says, “Come here!” He doesn’t mean for you to wait till it is convenient for you. He doesn’t mean for you to “level up” first, or finish texting your friend—He means now.
Because, like everything Jesus does for us, and calls us to do, following Him, from the moment He calls, is for our good, for our wholeness, healing, and destiny. He loves you and wants to teach you the ways of God, love, acceptance, and forgiveness. He wants you to be the best you can be. The only way that can happen is if you are watching Him, listening to His voice through the Word, applying, and doing what He says to do, without fear.
In another place Jesus says, “Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 NLT
Jesus is humble and gentle, being with Him our souls find rest, from anxiety and fear, being by His side is the safest place in the world to be. And we can be there every day, letting Him teach us, learning from His humble, gentle ways.
David puts it like this in Psalm 63:
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:1-8 NKJV
Jesus calls to us to follow Him and it is our choice to do so. For King David, it was the obvious choice because He recognized the authority of God, and He knew that life spent in God’s presence was full and good. “Early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You… In the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice… My soul follows close behind You.”
Dear one, follow Jesus. His call to you is imperative, His love for you immeasurable. Tell Him early in the morning of your desire to follow Him through the day. Follow Him as you sleep, and follow Him in every activity. Following Jesus will provide help, strength, confidence and rest for your soul. Following Jesus will make you weatherproof.
And like the disciples who walked beside Him, He takes responsibility to equip You for everything He calls you to do— “I will make you…” Then, ultimately, like Jesus, you will be a lighthouse for others, showing them the way of wholeness and rest, a fisher of men.
Sincerely,
