Immediate Reaction

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. (Proverbs 4:13)

From the looks of it, instruction must be very important and we must hold on to it very tightly.  God has called us to guard instruction well because it’s our life line.  The Hebrew word for instruction is discipline.  We are to be disciplined in the things of Christ and to walk in His ways.  Let’s look at four people who were called to follow the Lord’s instruction.  The most important thing I want you to see is their response.  Let’s see if we can follow in their footsteps with a response of readiness!

In Luke 5, we see that Jesus was becoming very well-known.  He was at the Lake of Gennesaret and the people were crowding around Him.  They were hungry for the Word of God that He was providing.  He saw an opportunity to get into Simon Peter’s boat and speak to the people a little from shore.  And when He finished speaking, He gave Simon a great opportunity.  He told Simon to let down his nets in the deep water for a catch.  Simon had worked hard all night and hadn’t caught anything, but the Lord instructed Him to try one more time.  This is no easy task, especially when he was worn out from a hard day’s work.  I’m sure Simon was just ready to pull in his nets and call it a day, but he responded out of faith to the Lord.  He was in for a great surprise! He caught a large number of fish, so many that his net started to break.  He called his partners from another boat to help him pull up his net.  Both boats began to sink when all the fish had been pulled in.  That’s a lot of fish!  They were all amazed at this miracle!

After they got all their fish in, they came to shore.  Jesus took a moment with Simon Peter and his companions James and John.  He said these words:

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”  So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11)

Simon Peter, James, and John were called to follow Jesus and they made and immediate decision.  They did not sit and think it over.  They didn’t stop to the clean the fish or get their things in order.  They simply got up and followed Jesus.  That is discipline in its highest form.  When Jesus calls us to come, the greatest thing we can do is instantly follow!  We don’t need to hum and haul over it.  We don’t need to try to squirm our way out of it.  We don’t need to try to figure out what His agenda is.  We just need to follow Him.  He has a great plan for our lives!  The Proverb above talks about holding on to instruction, not letting it go, and guarding it well because it’s our life.  In this case, Jesus is life.  Jesus had asked the disciples to follow Him and they did it.  No questions asked.  When was the last time you followed God without any questions?

Let’s take a look at one more disciple who had the same response.

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.  “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:27-28)

Wow, did you see that?  Levi followed Jesus immediately too.  Levi wasn’t concerned with what people would think of him or why Jesus chose him.  He didn’t offer up excuses of why someone else would be better than him.  He didn’t say he wasn’t good enough.  He simply got up and followed Jesus.  In fact, he threw a party for Jesus.  You will find this when you read the rest of Luke 5.  Levi didn’t have a good reputation, yet the Lord called him to follow and he did without looking back.

We need to take some lessons from Simon Peter, James, John, and Levi.  They were ready to follow Jesus immediately.  I wonder if we are ready to follow God’s guidance on a daily basis.  Has God shared something with you lately?  Have you followed through on it?  How long before you do?  It doesn’t matter what it is, God desires your complete obedience!  Will you be obedient to the One who gave it all for you?  Let’s reflect on what our lives will look like if we start responding to God more quickly.  I know I would get in a lot less trouble, if I did.  Wow, what if I forgave more quickly?  What if I said I’m sorry more often?  What if I loved others more fully?  What if I looked outside of myself a little more often?  What if I gave up my need to be first more often?  What if I gave up my need to be right?  What if I talked a little less?  What if I listened a little more?

My obedience to Christ precedes a life of fullness!  I’m one step away from that life of fullness every day and so are you.  Will you take the next step in obedience to Christ?  It’s your choice to live the life of fullness that God offers, He will never push it on you!

Challenge: Read Luke 6 and Proverbs 5

Memory Verse: Psalm 73:26

Dear Father God, I desire to take my next step in obedience to You.  Please help me to be obedient to all that I see in Your Word.  I know that it is not enough to read Your Word and walk away without applying it.  I want Your Word to become a daily part of me.  I want it to change me and how I live.  I want Your Word to become my way of life.  I pray that my life will reflect Your ways and Your desires daily!  May I make an immediate decision to follow Your ways every day of my life!

Living for the King,