The First Directive

Mark 1:17

 

17Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

 

What was the first directive Jesus gave to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew? He said to Follow Him. So why is that people want to become fishers of men without first following Jesus? There are too many who want to start things tagging Jesus' name to it yet have no intention on truly following Him. How so? If you never bother to 'hear' from God then how can you say He is leading you to do something? Many want to lead but in order to lead, the first command is follow. The disciples didn't just become apostles overnight. They had to learn from Jesus how to carry on His ministry. First thing's first. My pastor just recently preached on going your own way instead of God's way.

 

I remember when I received a recommendation from my pastor when I desired to enter seminary. He had a conversation with me as well as my assistant pastor. They both continually said to me that going for the piece of paper is great but without learning to listen to the Holy Spirit, what you receive is simply a piece of paper. Do you remember the first time Samuel heard God audibly call his name? Samuel thought it was the Priest Eli whose leadership he was under. Eli finally discovered that Samuel was hearing from God and it was rare in those days as the word says. Well I heard God audibly call my name one morning. I felt so special and loved that He would call my name. There was absolutely nothing like it. When you can hear God whether audibly or through the Holy Spirit, it is a beautiful experience because it means He knows you and you know Him.

 

So why attempt to lead, attaching Jesus' name to anything without first following His direction? Two words: pride and greed. Pride because you want your name in lights and greed because you are unsatisfied with what the Lord has already provided. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines greed as acquisitive or selfish desire beyond reason. It's no longer about God but about you. I love when my pastor says, "It's all about God and not about you."  How do you expect Him to give you much if you are unfaithful with little? Satan or Lucifer as he was called, already carried the name of the Lord with him as the chief choir director. But it was not enough for him. He desired to have his name equal with God's as the star. He was not satisfied with what the Lord gave him to do. And therefore he lost the assignment he did have as well as his place in heaven. That's a hefty price just because you want to be the star. It's something to think about.

 

P.S. This message was written in the wee hours of the night and suddenly lost. But I PRAISE GOD because He gave it again. Without the Lord's direction, there is no Get Your (J)esus (O)n (Y)ou In The Morning, that's a fact.