Follow me by Mike Bamiloye
Mark 1:16-18
16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Luke 5:8-11
8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”
11So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
They had just caught the greatest number of fishes in their entire professional life. As skillful fishermen, they knew how and when and where to catch the fishes. They knew all the techniques and all the professional strategies. They employed all they knew that night till the morning and caught nothing. Their skills and wisdom of the profession failed them. They had lost every hope of catching any fish again. They were washing their nets to go back home and come back another day. Then the Master came and performed the wonder. He had commanded Peter to cast he net where they had looked for fishes all night without seeing any. He commanded him to cast the net back there for a miracle of his life. Peter did. And brought forth a great number of big fishes that was sinking his boat. He sent for another boat nearby for help. That one also came and got filled up and the Bible said in Luke 5:7 that both boats began to sink.
Can you imagine two big boats filled with big fishes? Can you imagine how the fishes would fill the who place when they had brought them to the beach? It was at that point that Jesus said to Peter and his colleagues: “Follow me, from now on, I will make you Fishers of Men.” And Peter and his partners took the best decision they would ever take in their entire life. They left the great catch and heeded the voice of the Master. They left on the day they had the highest proceed in their professional business. They left the job on the day they had the highest success. They did not even go with the fishes. They left all to follow Him.
From that moment on, we began to hear of Peter, Andrew, James and John. Prior to that time, we never heard of them tangibly, but we began to hear of them after they had followed the Lord. What did The Lord tell another disciple of His:
Matthew 9:9
Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting
at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”
So he arose and followed Him.
The uneducated fishermen heard His call they followed him. The educated staff of a tax office heard His call, he followed Him. He promised to make them “Fishers of Men” and He did. They became very important personalities in the agenda of The Lord. They became the right hand men of The Lord, following The Lord wherever He went. The Lord made them into what He created them for. They walked and worked with the King of kings and ate with Him. Then, very importantly, When Peter wanted to know their fate for following Him:
Matthew 19:27-28
27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.
Therefore what shall we have?”
28 So Jesus said to them,
“Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man
sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
He gave them the future picture of the result of following Him. They would sit with Him on the thrones. They would rule with Him. Apart from MAKING them become what He wanted them to be here on earth, they will also follow Him to RULE and REIGN in His Kingdom. So, FOLLOWING The Lord has far more rewards than His making you become what He wants you to be:
AFTER MAKING YOU TO BE WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO BE HERE ON EARTH, HE WILL MAKE YOU TO BE WHERE HE WANTS YOU TO BE AFTER HERE.
The rewards of FOLLOWING HIM surpasses this fading world, the rewards stretches beyond here to ETERNITY.
Mark 8:34
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also,
He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
You cannot follow The Lord without denying yourself of some things. As Peter and his colleagues left the great catch of fishes to follow the Master, and Matthew left his tax office to follow Him. Following Him will take some things away from your hand. You will have to drop some things to pick up a cross of sacrifice and dedication to follow him. IT MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE YOUR PROFESSION, BUT SOME THINGS MUST LEAVE YOUR HANDS IF YOU WILL FOLLOW HIM.
Many years ago, when we were first beginning the ministry. We went for a drama ministration in Lagos and as we were arranging the stage for the ministration in the evening, a brother member of the ministry, who was married approached me and ask: “Bro. Mike, what is the future of this ministry we are doing?” He asked me and was staring at me waiting for an answer. He had looked at the way we had abandoned many things including jobs and homes and had been traveling around, sleeping in churches after ministrations. He had looked at many of our nursing wives and unmarried young members and had seen no promising future ahead. Then, he asked the question. I stared back at him, and I said, “I too I am following The Lord, I don’t know the future of this ministry. He called me and I followed Him just as He called you too. I don’t know the future. I am only following Him by faith.”
Not until you leave all and follow Him, can He make you become whatever He wants to make you. ONLY HIM CAN MAKE YOU, YOU CAN’T MAKE YOURSELF INTO WHAT HE WANT YOU TO BE, BECAUSE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HIS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. Some people are afraid to leave their comfort zone. Some people are scared of the uncertain future and, therefore, cannot go into the mission work The Lord has been calling them to LEAVE AND FOLLOW HIM for the past six or seven years. They think they can make themselves to be something in life. What can you make yourself to be? YOU CAN ONLY BE RELEVANT IN LIFE IN WHAT HE HAS CREATED YOU TO BE. And only Him can MAKE YOU be that particular thing, when you FOLLOW HIM.
What was the difference between Joshua and Caleb and the rest ten spies The Lord sent them to spy the Canaan Land? One group was following The Lord by faith, believing everything The Lord had said about the land and the other group back off following. They were scared of the giants of the land, they never believed wholly everything the Lord said about the Promise Land. So, this decision separated them from their destination and destiny. The Lord said none of those people who failed to believe His word and promises concerning the Promise Land would get there except Caleb and Joshua:
Numbers 14:24
24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him
and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went,
and his descendants shall inherit it.
Some children of God are still struggling in life because they failed to follow The Lord wholly with all their life. They are serving The Lord, but they still keep the bad friends The Lord had told them to leave behind. Some sisters still serve The Lord but still finds it difficult to part with their unbeliever fiances. Some brother love The Lord and are serving Him, but are not following Him fully because of the difficulty in separating themselves from their unbeliever fiancees. Even some finances and fiancees are believers, but it certain they are not the will of God, but they are still stubbornly traveling the journey to the Altar after which they will find no other bus-stops again. Do you know that some children of God would have been settled in life if they had followed The Lord fully by disengaging from the jobs the Lord had commanded them to leave? The Lord had told them to leave because the job had hindered them from serving The Lord with all their heart.
Are you following the Lord Fully with all your heart?
Are you obeying the voice of the Lord Fully in following Him?
Have you dropped what He told you to drop and left what He told you to leave?
Check, if what you are passing through is not a direct consequences of you refusal to Follow Him fully and absolutely.
Perhaps you have not been what you thought you would be, because you had disobeyed His instructions,
Where have you missed it?
PRAYER POINT:
“Jesus, help me. I am sorry for all my lack of Faith and doubts. Restore me back to where I have missed the tracks and help me to Follow you fully henceforth.”
– MIKE BAMILOYE
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