“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”” (Mark 1:16–17, ESV)
A good number of years ago, Pastor Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Life. It was one of the best selling books of all time. People connected with this book because they wanted their lives to matter. They wanted to know they were here for a reason.
Indeed, God created you for a purpose. You are here for a reason. God does not make mistakes. But consider this thought for a moment:
- You are not here for your purpose.
- You are here for God’s purpose.
God has a purpose. God has a plan. God has been at work since before the beginning of time. He was at work before you were born. He will still be at work long after your days on this earth are over.
- God’s purpose is eternal.
- God’s purpose is greater.
- God’s purpose is more important.
- God’s purpose is more urgent.
- God’s purpose brings fulfillment.
- In the end, all that will matter is God’s purpose.
We have a way of making our plans, and then we ask God to come alongside us and bless our plans. Our pride tells us that our plans are big and important. But what if instead of making our plans first, we sought to discover God’s purpose and plan. What if instead of asking God to come alongside us, we sought to follow him and join him in his work.
This is the invitation of Jesus! It is not for us to ask him to follow us. His invitation is to follow him. That is to go where he goes, say what he says, and do what he does.
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