FOLLOWING THE LEADER IS A LIFE CHANGING AND EXCITING COMMITMENT!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  
(Matthew 4:19)

MEDITATION:
Remember when you were a kid and played ‘follow the leader’?
If the ‘leader’ was creative, 
it could be a fun time of doing things out of your comfort zone.
Some things were easy, 
but some could be challenging and added excitement to the game.

When we humbly come to God admitting our sinfulness and asking for His 
gracious gift of salvation, we are committing to a new life of following Jesus.
What exactly does it mean to ‘follow the Lord’?
It can be different for each individual, but one thing 
we can be sure of is, our life will be different...in a good way.

This is why it is important for new Christians 
to incorporate the Lord’s direction into their lives.
We embark on new adventures as we ‘follow’ His lead.
The Bible tells us that our new commitment to following the Lord 
(and obeying His commands) demonstrates that our love for Him is sincere.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God 
and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep 
his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone 
born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome 
the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:2-4)

Even though there might be times when we have to leave our comfort zone,
we assured that we will not be overburdened when we faithfully follow Him.
When He walked the earth in human form, everywhere He went, Jesus
challenged, sometimes uprooted, and always changed people.

He taught common people how to do uncommon things 
as participants of His ministry to reach the lost souls of the world.
Not only was He a missionary, but He challenges His followers 
to prove their love and faith by becoming missionaries as well.

For some, it means a new career of full time ministry such as 
pastoring a church, serving in the mission field, leading bible 
discussions in a class, public speaking on His behalf, etc.
But for every true believer, it means having such a burning desire 
to see others receive salvation that we are willing to commit 
to living a new lifestyle in support of His ministry to reach lost souls. 

ACTION:
If someone asked you if you are a Christian, how would you respond?
If they asked you what you are doing as a follower of the Lord, 
what would you say?
How would you describe to them the changes in your life 
after you surrendered to His Lordship and committed to following Him?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You have blessed me enormously with Your gift 
of salvation. Forgive me for any casual attitude I may have toward 
Your grace and mercy. Forgive me for those I have led astray through
my actions which are disobedient and unpleasing to You. Remind me 
that You saved me to be not only an adopted child of Your family, but 
also to be a faithful, loving, obedient, and committed follower of Your 
Son, Jesus. Teach me how I can be a better participant in Your earthly 
ministry by living a life which shows others what being a member of 
Your family means, and how my life has changed after I surrendered 
and committed to You.”

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