Following Jesus

September 20, 2024

“…Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

At the starting gate of their relationship with Jesus, two sets of brothers who were professional fishermen entered into a covenant with Him that came in two parts. Jesus challenged them: “You follow Me – that’s your part. I will make you – that’s My part. You follow Me – that’s your business. I will make you– that’s My business.”

When I was 18 years old my brother-in-law, Pastor John Dunlap, shared the Gospel with me. When I told him I couldn’t do what an authentic disciple of Jesus was required to do, he told me I didn’t have to do it by myself. Pastor John told me about this covenant Jesus established with Peter, Andrew, James and John. When I made the commitment to follow Jesus I entered into that same covenant.

Next month I will be 80 years old, and I have proven that if we follow Jesus, He will make us. In other words, if we keep our part of that covenant, we can trust Jesus to keep His part.

I strongly encourage you to consider entering into that covenant with Jesus. You don’t have to do all the things involved in following Him. Fact is you can’t follow Jesus in your own strength and resources. Your part is to make the commitment to follow Him and then trust Jesus to do His part. He won’t do your part, and you can’t do His part. But if you follow Jesus, He will make you into who He is calling you to be.

And if someone could show you what you will be doing in 20+ years you won’t believe it!

Dick Woodward, 21 September 2010

Editor’s Note: This week the blog posting elf is remembering her Uncle John who led her Papa to faith so many years ago when (in Papa’s words) his younger self was a zero with the circle rubbed out. Uncle John, however, had faith in what Jesus could do in & through Papa! And my Aunt Lolly had that same faith, too!

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Posted by Dick Woodward

What the Love of God Looks Like

February 23, 2013

“Let the one who is wise consider these things and see in them the loving kindness of the Lord.” (Psalm 107:43).

Psalm 107 is a great hymn of redemption.  In each of the five stanzas this inspired hymn writer profiles a different dimension of redemption the people of God experience.  Each description ends with the hymn writer exhorting the redeemed of the Lord to thank the Lord for His goodness to them and His wonderful works in their lives. He demands that if they are redeemed, the people of the Lord should step up and say so!

An extraordinary ministry to high school young people brings their year to a conclusion with a wonderful week of camp meetings in the summer.  They bring that week to a verdict with what they call a “say so” meeting when they encourage young people who have come to faith to step up and say so!

In each of the five stanzas in Psalm 107 the hymn writer profiles how the Lord has redeemed His people from their chaos, their chains, their foolish choices, their crises, and their complacency.  Then he writes a profound summary of the various vehicles God uses to make these things happen:

He turns rivers into deserts and deserts into flowing springs.  They have very fruitful harvests.  Then He diminishes them and they are brought low.  At that point He blesses them.  Their numbers greatly increase and God does not let their herds diminish.

He writes that spiritually wise people will observe these events and see in them what the love of God sometimes looks like.

When these “ups and downs” happen to you, are you spiritually wise enough to see in them what the love of God can sometimes look like for you?

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Posted by Dick Woodward