Immediately!

I finished reading the Gospel of Matthew today and started in on Mark. Matthew 4 and Mark 1 tell the stories of how some of Jesus' disciples were called.

Matt. 4:18-22 tells us Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee when he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew. They were working their fishing business. Mark 1:16-18 tells the same story. Notice the words "immediately" and "at once" in each gospel account. When Jesus said to these men, "Come, follow me," they put down their nets and walked away from the life they'd always known...immediately!

James and John had a similar calling. The only difference is they were working with their father in the family fishing business. "Immediately" and "without delay", they said 'so long' to their dad and went with Jesus. (I've often wondered what Zebedee, their father, thought of all of this!)

These stories make a deep impression on me when I read them. How would I react if Jesus walked up to me one day and said, "Come. Leave everything you know and join me in something you haven't got a clue about." Would I go immediately?

In fact, Jesus HAS called us, just like He called Peter and Andrew, and James and John. He HAS asked us to leave things behind and come follow him. What was our response when He called?

Was it immediate?

Was it without delay?

Or did we make excuses? Did we say "wait until I finish such n' such"?

I tend to be a rather slow learner. It took me quite a few years to learn how to be the wife and mother God had called me to be. When He asked me to start a ministry in my church for families and friends of people involved in homosexuality, I put God off for a whole year before saying yes. I'm sure I can list quite a few other times throughout my life when God called me and I didn't respond as quick as I should have.

IMMEDIATELY!!

That is how I want to live my life from this moment forward!