Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Clay Crosse, Bebe Winans, and Bob Carlisle singing … I Will Follow Christ … powerfully singing of how all Christians should be “sold out” to follow Jesus.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 4:19-20 [NLT] … 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
… Jesus calls Peter and Andrew from their fishing boats; and without question, they followed Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Exodus 3:7-14 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK …
… God calls Moses from the burning bush; and Moses is hesitant to follow
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Reference Passage : … Genesis 12:1-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God calls Abram to go to a strange land; and Abram follows the Lord dutifully.
Reference Passage : … Isaiah 6:8 [NLT] … 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” … I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
… God calls Isaiah to prophesy for Him; and Isaiah responds to the call with surrender.
Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. … “
… Jesus’ strong call to His followers to be His disciples; but do we respond?
Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
… Jesus, ascending into Heaven, calls and charges all of His true disciples to become His witness to the world.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Julie Schwab, teaches on being a follower of Christ with a personal story and a reference to God calling Moses from the bush. … The ODB author wrote: In August 2015, when I was preparing to attend a university a couple of hours from home, I realized I probably wouldn’t move back home after graduation. My mind raced. How can I leave home? My family? My church? What if God later calls me to another state or country?
Like Moses, when God told him to go “to Pharaoh to bring [His] people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10), I was afraid. I didn’t want to leave my comfort zone. Yes, Moses obeyed and followed God, but not before questioning Him and requesting that someone else go instead (vv. 11–13; 4:13).
And there were others whom the Bible references as those who responded to God’s call to follow Him, … like Abram, Isaiah, and yes, … even Jesus’ Disciples (see reference passages copied/linked above). And we know Jesus has called all of us who claim to be His disciples to deny ourselves and follow Him by being witnesses to His Gospel to the world (see Luke 9:23 and Acts 1:8).
The question is … are we REALLY following our Lord’s call; and are we TRULY disciples of Christ?
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for calling me.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Here I am, Lord; … send me! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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