Come ye after Me

Mark 1:17
And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

From "My Utmost for His Highest":
We have the notion that we can consecrate our gifts to God. You cannot consecrate what is not yours; there is only one thing you can consecrate to God, and that is your right to yourself (Romans 12:1). If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed. The one mark of a saint is the moral originality which springs from abandonment to Jesus Christ. In the life of a saint there is this amazing wellspring of original life all the time; the Spirit of God is a well of water springing up, perennially fresh. The saint realizes that it is God Who engineers circumstances, consequently there is no whine, but a reckless abandon to Jesus.

Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you. If you abandon to Jesus, and come when He says "Come," He will continue to say "Come" through you; you will go out into life reproducing the echo of Christ's "Come." That is the result in every soul who has abandoned and come to Jesus.

I just came from having a frustrating conversation where I was pressed to explain the reason I bring my children to church, and choose to teach children at church. When I read this scripture, I again was amazed at the timeliness. But then again, why should I be amazed, when all of this is from God.

I explained to my friend that I heard Jesus say, "Come" at a very early age. I have always been drawn to God. I have felt God's hand guide me to Him for as long as I can remember. At the age of four, my grandmother and I were in Weis Markets. She told me I could choose any toy that I wanted. I chose "A Child's Book of Hymns". It was a Golden Book. My favorite song was "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam". I heard God in my heart. I felt His guidance throughout my life. God called to me, "Come ye after Me". I followed.

Now, it is my duty and desire to "raise my children in the way that they will go, so when they are older, they will not part from it" (Proverbs 22:6). My children respond. They love to worship! How can I then consider that I might be doing wrong by them by bringing them to church?

Through this blog, I have been blessed. I have people contacting me, telling me that I am touching their lives; I am speaking or writing what they need to hear! My heart leaps with joy to know that God is using me in this way. I am humbled. I am honored. I am blessed.

I am experiencing what it means to echo that call of "Come". I have abandoned all to Jesus and now this light has begun to shine.

How do I argue with someone who has never heard God's call? How do I make him understand the incredible joy, the overwhelming LOVE that is found when you abandon all to Christ?

Matthew 11:28
"Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
"The questions that matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by the words - "Come unto Me." Not - Do this, or don't do that; but - "Come unto Me." If I will come to Jesus my actual life will be brought into accordancewith my real desires; I will actually cease from sin, and actually find the song of the Lord begin.

Have you ever come to Jesus? Watch the stubbornness of your heart, you will do anything rather than the one simple childlike thing -"Come unto Me." If you want the actual experience of ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus. Jesus Christ makes Himself the touchstone. Watch how He used the word "Come." At the most unexpected moments there is the whisper of the Lord - "Come unto Me," and you are drawn immediately. Personal contact with Jesus alters everything. Be stupid enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude of coming is that the will resolutely lets go of everything and deliberately commits all to Him.". . . and I will give you rest," i.e., I will stay you. Not - I will put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but - I will get you out of bed, out of the languor and exhaustion, out of the state of being half dead while you are alive; I will imbue you with the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital activity."

When you are called, you know. You hear His voice. You know the signs. You know it's GOD.
You are not only drawn to God, but you are drawn to put your faith into action.

"Come unto Me". That's all He asks. And when you do, suddenly everyone around you wants what you have. Let your life, abandoned to Christ, echo Christ's call:

"Come".