Commission
Opening Prayer
Have you made New Year resolutions? Tell God about them and ask him to help you keep them.
Read Matthew 4:12-25
[12] When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. [13] Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali- [14] to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: [15] “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles- [16] the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” [17] From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” [18] 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. [19] “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” [20] At once they left their nets and followed him. [21] 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, [22] and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. [23] Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. [24] News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. [25] Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What does Jesus' call mean to his disciples?Jesus starts his ministry in the north of Israel, around the Sea of Galilee (12-16). It is here that he calls his first four disciples, the brothers Peter and Andrew and James and John (18-22). All four men most likely already know about Jesus and have heard him preach. When he calls them, they immediately accompany him. For them as fishermen, leaving their nets (20) means they are giving up their livelihood. Now they will be on a steep learning curve as they go with Jesus, listen to him preach, and see him heal the sick. When Jesus calls us, it may mean considerable sacrifices on our part. Those sacrifices could involve leaving our situations to serve God farther afield or maybe staying where we are as a witness to our faith. When God calls us to be his disciples and to do his work, he rarely speaks in a loud voice from the clouds. He can get his message across to us through the Bible, through an inner voice, or through other people who know us well. We always need to check out what we think God is telling us, but, having assured ourselves that we have truly heard his call, we must “leave our nets” and go.
Apply
Reflect on how you have lived out your faith this past year. Could God be calling you to something different next year?
Closing prayer
Lord, here I am, ready for You to command. I will go anywhere, do anything, start over any way You ask.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.