“Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people.”
Oswald Chambers
A few weeks ago, I meditated on the calling of the first disciples in Luke 5:1-11. Here are some of the principles I learned from that passage of what it means to follow Jesus.
When we’re followers of Jesus, we do what He asks us to do and we obey even when it may not make sense. In verse four, Jesus asks Simon to let down their nets in deep water. And though Simon had fished all night and hadn’t caught anything, he still obeyed Jesus and took Him at His word (Luke 5:5).
We obey God’s word simply because disciples obey and follow their Master. Disciples submit to their leader’s authority, with no questions asked because they trust them. Simon didn’t say to Jesus, “Are you sure about this?” He didn’t argue or try to reason with Jesus to have it make sense. Simon simply trusted.
Jesus Himself submitted to His Father and obeyed. John 8:28b says, “…I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” And even in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus chose His Father’s will over His own (Luke 22:42).
Abundance is the result of a disciple’s obedience. Luke 5:6-7 says they had caught so much fish that their nets began to break. They waved their partners over and both their boats were so full that they began to sink. The new disciples went from no fish to overflowing with an abundance of fish, all because they obeyed Jesus’ word.
In our journey to follow Jesus, we obey the Father not for the fruit it may bear, but for His face. We want to please Him. Abundance is not the reason we obey. Our love relationship with the Father is the motivation for obedience. He is worthy of our submission.
Discipleship means we’ll do what Jesus asks us to do, we’ll trust He knows best and we’ll experience abundant fruit as a result of our obedience. Next week’s post will conclude the lessons I learned from this passage. My prayer is that as followers of Jesus, we will take these principles to heart and make them a part of our daily lives.
“The making of a disciple means the creating of a duplicate.”
Juan Carlos Ortiz
Relevant Reflections:
As Jesus’ disciple, do you obey Him simply because He asks you to?
Describe a time when you experienced His abundance as a result of your obedience.