LISTEN!

Jesus said that He came to bring “Good News,” and when we get good news we need to give it the attention is deserves. That’s why last Sunday I encouraged our church family to develop a practice of listening to Jesus. Listening doesn’t come naturally: it is a developed skill. That means we have to work at it and the more we work the better we get. The best way to develop the skill of listening to Jesus is to read the Bible. That’s why I gave us all an assignment to read the book of Mark this December.

In today’s reading, we see:

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Traditionally, Christmas is a time of giving. The reason for this is simple: God gave us Jesus and Jesus gave all that He was for all of us. So we give to each other in an inadequate yet meaningful attempt to mirror God’s generosity.

I am struck, however, that even before Jesus gave His life for us all, John, James, Simon (Peter), and Andrew gave their lives to Him. They didn’t know what they were getting into, but they knew this: being a follower of Jesus was a much better thing than being a master fisherman. They gave Jesus their trust, their loyalty, and their futures. They held nothing back. There is no more powerful gift we can give Jesus than that.

So here is the question: What are you holding back from Jesus? Is there anything that you are hanging onto that keeps you from following Jesus?