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Single Minded
by Michelle Brinson
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
This above passage is one of my favorites from the Bible.
There are many interesting observations to make. The first thing I notice about this passage is that in both cases… there was no hesitation on the part of those being called. None!
Peter and Andrew came "at once" and James and John "immediately" left their boat and their father and followed Jesus.
Can you imagine this scene today? Suppose Jesus walked up to you and you were working on something… I could just hear the conversation now… "Can you give me just a sec? I’m right in the middle of this email."
Or what if you knew He was expecting you to be gone for some time… "Jesus, I need a little more notice than this… there’s a lot I need to do… I need to find someone to take care of the kids… I need to pack… I need to reschedule some appointments. Can we make plans to go next week, instead?"
And what if He asked you to leave someone behind that you loved… like your father or mother? I’m sure in the case of James and John they were important to their father Zebedee’s fishing business. These two brothers were probably the only staff Zebedee had. I’m sure they felt some loyalty to their dad and his fishing business. What made them leave?
And these guys were just fishermen… there were nobodies… if the Messiah were to come… wouldn’t these guys be the last people he would be looking for?
And the more I think about this… I’m wondering, did these men even know who Jesus was? Had they ever head of him before? I mean, they were probably good Jewish men who knew something about the Messiah, but gee… it has been years since anyone had heard anything from God.
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
John the Baptist prepared the way. In a time when no one was speaking of the coming Messiah – God chose a most unusual man to prepare the people… John – a man who’s clothes were made of camel’s hair and his food was locusts and wild honey.
In today’s world, it might be like a homeless man on the street wearing dirty clothes and eating out of a trash can. Through the eyes of the world, this is not necessarily someone we would give a lot of credibility to, is it?
So why did these men listen and obey?
I believe Peter, Andrew, James and John all had one thing in common… they were listening, watching and waiting… in effect… they were ready and they faithfully obeyed – no questions asked.
So my question is this… when He returns… will you be ready?
Let this be a reminder… God’s kingdom is approaching. It’s time to get your lives in order. Only those who submit to God’s reign in advance will be ready when He comes to rule the whole world.
I suggest you get ready!
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Michelle sees her marriage as a ministry and desires for it and herself to be used by God. She and her husband and son are active members of their church. She is also passionate about spreading the good news locally as well as internationally via mission trips to East Africa and wherever else the Lord leads.
Michelle is a talented writer and speaker who prays God will use her in sharing His hope and truths to those who are hurting and in need of love.
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