Day 27 - Reckless Abandonment

Posted by Grady Dycus

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

I am amazed each time I read the stories about when Jesus called the first disciples. Think about it, Mathew, a tax collector, is sitting in the tax office working (Mathew 16:9) and a man walks into the office and says, “Follow Me”. I think I would probably have a lot of questions like “Who are you?” or “Where are we going?”, but Matthew simply arose and followed Him. He left a good paying job and a comfortable life with no questions asked.

In a similar way, Peter and Andrew (his brother) were casting their nets into the sea, working with their father just like every other day, providing for their family, until Jesus approached them and said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” In Matthew 4:18, it states that they immediately left their nets and followed Him. Amazing!

I want to live out this kind of faith, where if Jesus asks me to do anything that I don’t ask any questions, I just do it. Don’t you? If Jesus asks me to share the Gospel with someone in public that I don’t know, I want to be obedient. If He asks me to quit my job and move to another country and become a missionary, I want to be obedient. I want to do His will whatever the cost simply because He asks me to and because I know that He is trustworthy.

PRAYER:  Father I thank you for your Word and the encouraging examples of men and women who recklessly abandoned their lives for your purposes. I pray just as the man in Mark 9:24 prayed, “Lord help my unbelief.” Forgive me for the times I have been more afraid of what others think of me instead of being obedient to you. Father, I want to live a life of faith so I can be more useful for your Kingdom. It is in the name of Jesus that I ask these things. Amen!

POINT TO PONDER:  God uses people of faith who do His will (whatever the cost) because they know He is trustworthy.