Christian Commentary Encouraging Devotions

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Soren Kierkegaard called the typical Christian response

"admiring Christ instead of following Christ."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer described the difference between "cheap grace" and "costly grace."

Cheap grace, he said, is grace without a commitment and response from the believer.

It is grace without servanthood.

Costly grace, said Bonhoeffer, moves us to respond to the call of Jesus.

Another commentator...

"Accepting God’s grace for ourselves

without concern for sharing it with a lost world

is a perversion of what it means to be a Christ follower."

"The issue is whether we want to move from being admirers, and even worshippers, to being followers.

If we want to take that step then the question is...

"What does it really mean to be a follower of Jesus today?"

The cross is as central to following Christ daily as it is to knowing Him initially.

Notice the word daily in the invitation of Jesus:

"Then He said to them all,

'If anyone desires to come after Me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross daily, and follow Me'". Luke 9:23

As Jesus was willing to go to the cross to do the will of the Father (Philippians 2:8),

so we must be willing to follow Jesus to the cross,

daily dying to any desires that conflict with His so that we may daily live for Him."

Jesus called out to them,

"Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" Matthew 4:19

The following comes first.

Then comes the making of a fisher of men.

Relationship precedes and accompanies outreach.

Otherwise it'll amount to no more than a human effort with puny results.

The church I attend states,

"Our mission as Christ-followers

is to passionatley love God,

love others,

and present Christ to our world."

I'm looking to God to provide a personal strategy for soul-winning.

A strategy that'll be tailor-made.

Not cookie-cutter produced.

Personal.

Flowing from a personal relationship.