Following at a Price

Following at a Price

“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” Matthew 4:18-19

Picture yourself out on a fishing boat, just doing your job. When someone comes up to you and asks you to leave your job and then follow him, would you do it? Would you be able to give up your job, your home, your family, just to follow someone you don’t know that well? Not knowing what would lay ahead for him, and not truly grasping what it would cost him, Peter decided he would give up his life to follow Jesus.

Peter had known Jesus for about a year at this point in his lifetime, but it’s still remarkable that he would willingly give up everything. Because Peter had faith that Jesus was the Messiah, he found the decision to follow Jesus fairly easy. Over the course of his life, Peter would do amazing things for God. He would continue to follow God, even to the point where he gave up his life for Him.

Over the course of His ministry, Jesus had other people that would follow Him to a certain point, but then would desert Him at the smallest sign of trouble or disagreement. In Luke 9:57-62 some people tell Him they will follow Him, but only after they have finished business back home first. However, Jesus tells them that in order to follow Him, they must drop everything and follow without looking back to the old life.

Are there things in your life that are keeping you back? Maybe you are afraid of what lies ahead. Maybe you just want to wait until you are older and better equipped to handle following after Jesus. But just as Peter, who was an uneducated fisherman, did miraculous things later in life, it only came from daily following after Jesus.

Take time today to pray and ask God to help you let go of those things holding you back and give you courage to follow after Him, no matter what the price will be.