Following His Steps... to Bethsaida

Blurry, but still so important- Doug shared his personal testimony here. An ordinary man, called by God to follow...

Following His Steps… to Bethsaida

Bethsaida was a small fishing village on the Sea of Galilee… an ordinary village with ordinary people.

Five little Jewish boys ran these primitive streets and played along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  They would start school at a young age and commit the entire Torah to memory by the time they finished primary school at 11 or 12.   Following, they would either further their spiritual training under a local Rabbi or return home to learn the trade of their fathers.   

There was nothing extraordinary about any of these particular boys, and a future as religious leaders would be out of the question for them.  Instead, each would follow in the footsteps of their fathers and become fishermen.  They led quiet, ordinary lives, far from any prominence, prestige or power. 

But suddenly, without notice, Jesus of Nazareth walked into town and nothing would ever be the same again!  He chose the most unlikely among them to be His students; to follow Him so that they could become more like Him; so that they could walk with Him as disciples.      

These five ordinary men had no inkling that God would use the likes of them – insignificant in every way – to be used by the Master to ultimately affect the world for all time! 

When Jesus invited the five to follow Him, the Word says that they “immediately” laid their nets aside and followed.  My best guess is that this is exactly what set these men apart from all the others.  When Jesus called, they immediately said yes!  They didn’t hesitate to weigh the pros and cons of such a life changing decision.  They knew that Jesus was the kind of Rabbi they longed to follow, and follow they did…

His invitation to me and to you is the same… “Follow Me,” He calls.  He does not ask that we pray a special prayer or walk a special aisle.  Nor does He ask that we keep perfectly a set of do’s and don’ts prescribed by the religious leaders of our day!  Instead, He gives us a command with a promise… “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”   

This gives me hope that God can still use me. I may be able to follow, but I know myself well enough to know that I have absolutely no power to make myself into anything of value.  Jesus promises that if I will follow, He will do that part for me!  If I look at the lives of the five men from Bethsaida- Peter, Andrew, James, his brother John, and Phillip, and I acknowledge the extraordinary men they became as a result of Jesus’ promise fulfilled in them, then I would be wise to cast my nets aside and immediately follow along too!  I am only an ordinary woman, but I am banking on the promises of God that He is not through with me yet. As His disciple, He has the power to make me more and more like Himself and to carry the message of HOPE He died to make available to ordinary men and women like me.  He’s calling for you too… “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!”