Called...

"Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.  Immediately they left the boat and their father."--Matthew 4:21-22.  Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry calls James and John who would also become apostles.  I find it interesting here that we are not told what was said.  All we know is that James and John left everything they knew simply because they were called. 

Called.  I am willing to bet that there have been times in your life where you have had to drop everything in order to tend to something that was far more important.  Maybe it was having to change your plans because a friend needed help.  Maybe it was something as simple as having to change your plans because you got called into work earlier than scheduled.  As far as myself, my latest example was just this last weekend.  I had planned on going hiking to relieve some stress but my roommate, Ethan, was sick and needed to go to the doctor so we ended up spending all of last Saturday morning at the local Urgent Care followed by going to pick up his prescription.  By the time that was all done, it was too hot to go for a hike and I still had homework to do.  It was on this day that I was called to serve. 

But the story does not end there. In my being called to serve, two very cool things happened.  What I did not know was that through dropping my plans, I would find myself in the process of setting up two possible Bible studies.  One was with a man I met at the doctor's office and the other with the girl who cut my hair that afternoon.  This was all because I was called. 

I bring this all out because whether we realize it or not, as Christians we have been called.  God has called us to something bigger and better than we have ever imagined. 

Called.  Put yourself in the shoes (or sandals :-) ) of James and John.  We are not told in this text what Jesus said to them except that He called them.  But regardless, they dropped everything and followed Jesus.  It is highly unlikely that they knew what they were getting themselves into. They may not have known they would end up spending the next three years of their lives with Jesus.  They may not have known that they would end up being two of twelve individuals who would be responsible for sharing the gospel message with the entire known world.  But whatever they did or did not know, they knew what they were being called to was far more important than spending the rest of their lives as fishermen.  They were called. 

Called.  I don't know where you were in your life when you became a Christian.  Maybe you were fortunate enough to grow up in the Lord's church.  But maybe you are like me who did not come to an obedience of the gospel until later in your life.  Either way though, when you made the greatest decision that one person could ever make, what was your feeling? The last person that I witnessed get baptized into Christ, Lily, described her feeling simply as "overjoyed." Me, I was excited but I knew my life was changing forever.  I found myself changing in ways that I had never previously imagined.  I quite literally began to hate the life that I was living because I knew it wasn't pleasing God.  I wish I could say I changed my lifestyle overnight but even though I had been baptized, it took me three years to really turn my life around and give it over completely to God.  But looking back, I might do things a little differently but I would not change one thing about my experiences.  But at the end of the day, everything that has happened to me since has happened because I was called.  

Called.  Again I ask, what was your feeling before you gave your life over to Christ?  Were you overjoyed? Scared maybe in knowing that you would have to change some things in your life or that it might mean you would have to sever previous relationships?  Look at James and John.  They did not only leave behind their profession but their very father.  I know from personal experience how hard both of these are.  Prior to my moving out to Colorado, I left behind my ability to find a secular job with my Business Management degree but I also left a very sick father who went on to his reward this last December.  I am thankful I was able to be by his side though when he was taking his last breaths.  I did all this because I was called to devote my life to the Lord's service beginning here at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver.  Since then, I have had some of the best experiences I could ever ask for and God has opened so many doors of opportunity for me to continue to do His work full time. And this all because I was called. 

Called.  So as I have already mentioned, as a Christian you too have been called.  I am not saying you necessarily have to give up your job and leave your family behind to go do the Lord's work.  All I am saying is that all of us including you and me have been called to a task to do the Lord's work whether it's at home, the workplace, or out in the mission fields, at home or overseas.  We all have been called. 

Called.  So my encouragement to you tonight is this.  Consider James and John who dropped everything to follow Jesus.  First, take some time to write down some of the experiences you have had since giving your life to Christ that you may not have had otherwise.  Secondly, take some time off, whatever you can do to get more involved with some aspect of the Lord's work even if it is taking a short term mission trip.  

The bottom line is that we have been called.  We have been called by Jesus. Will we be like James and John who immediately left everything to follow Jesus? 

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!