When the Saviour Calls

As a new year begins many of us are looking for new paths and opportunities but how do we decide? There are pressures from many avenues for our time – family, home, work, charitable, community and so on. There are a multitude of things I could be doing with my time. I have the abilities to do many things, but should I be doing them all?

Yes, God gives us different gifts and abilities and He designed us with ways to use them. What is significant is how we approach them. Do we go blindly ahead, choosing ways to fill our time at a whim, or do we carefully consider our options?

An easier way to approach this is to be ready when God calls us. He will direct us if we are open to His leading.

Consider Jesus’ disciples and how they approached His call:

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 send you out to fish for people.” 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 the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22 NIV)

Each time I read this account I am amazed at how the disciples stop what they are doing immediately and they head out to follow Jesus. These disciples didn’t offer any excuses or say they had things to do first. They just got up and followed our Lord. How gripping Jesus is to have them be eager to follow Him. These disciples remained faithful unto death, following Christ’s direction throughout the rest of their lives. It is quite the life they pursued after they were chosen by Jesus.

If I was presented with the same situation, I don’t know if my response would have been the same as Peter or Andrew. I like to weigh the options for any activity or pursuit. I like to have my affairs in order and can see myself wanting to get things properly together to go on a journey. I like to make sure my loved ones are taken care of…and so on.

But when God is calling us, those things shouldn’t matter. What does matter is trust – that we trust God to look out for us and for our loved ones while we are called to serve. When God calls us to a task He equips us for it.

As a new year begins, may our hearts be open to our Saviour’s call. Praying for His guidance is imperative as we consider how to order our days. Sometimes our Saviour calls us to things we are sure we cannot do but being open minded and considering new challenges is also significant as we grow as the Lord’s followers.

A new year…new possibilities. Where will the Lord lead you?

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