Psalms 10-12
Acts 19:1-20
“Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.” Luke 4:38-39
As Jesus begins His earthly ministry, He goes around teaching in synagogues and performing miracles and healings. One lady in particular that He healed happened to be the mother-in-law of Simon. It is interesting to note that Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law before Simon was called to follow Jesus, which happens in Luke 5:1-11, when Simon caught a large number of fish after obeying Jesus’s instructions. What this means is that there is a difference in simply knowing about Jesus and actually following Him.
Up until this point in Simon’s discipleship journey, he already knew Jesus’s reputation around Galilee, heard him teach about the kingdom of God and witnessed Him perform miracles. But Simon was not a follower of Jesus yet. Why? Because he had not made Jesus the Lord of his life. What this shows is that the discipleship journey can often begin long before we actually give our life to Jesus or before we start following Him. Nonetheless, there is always a distinct moment when we actually begin to follow after Jesus.
I (Nelson Chang) remember when I was a teenager, my parents would take me to church. Although we lived in the United States, we went to a Hmong church, because my parents were refugees from Laos, and the church preached in my native language. This was challenging for me because I was born in the United States and grew up speaking English predominantly, even though my family did speak my native language at home.
I had about a first-grade level of understanding with my native language, which meant I did not fully understand everything the preacher said every Sunday. I knew about this guy named “Jesus,” and a bit about the Bible, but I was not a follower of Jesus until one summer in my senior year of high school. I was invited to go to a Bible conference for
teens and it was at this conference where I heard the preacher share the Good News of Jesus Christ, because he was preaching in English.
I remembered all of this so clearly. It was the first time I truly heard the gospel and understood just how important this guy named “Jesus” was and how He loved us so much that He would give His life for us. Even though I didn’t know Him, He would give His life for me—this completely rocked my world. It was like a lightbulb came on and I felt this tug in my heart that Jesus was calling me to follow Him. This was the distinct moment when I started following Jesus. Whether we realize it or not, Jesus is calling each and every one of us to follow Him.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for working in my life before I even realized You were calling me to You. Help me to follow You.
Acts 19:1-20
“Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.” Luke 4:38-39
As Jesus begins His earthly ministry, He goes around teaching in synagogues and performing miracles and healings. One lady in particular that He healed happened to be the mother-in-law of Simon. It is interesting to note that Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law before Simon was called to follow Jesus, which happens in Luke 5:1-11, when Simon caught a large number of fish after obeying Jesus’s instructions. What this means is that there is a difference in simply knowing about Jesus and actually following Him.
Up until this point in Simon’s discipleship journey, he already knew Jesus’s reputation around Galilee, heard him teach about the kingdom of God and witnessed Him perform miracles. But Simon was not a follower of Jesus yet. Why? Because he had not made Jesus the Lord of his life. What this shows is that the discipleship journey can often begin long before we actually give our life to Jesus or before we start following Him. Nonetheless, there is always a distinct moment when we actually begin to follow after Jesus.
I (Nelson Chang) remember when I was a teenager, my parents would take me to church. Although we lived in the United States, we went to a Hmong church, because my parents were refugees from Laos, and the church preached in my native language. This was challenging for me because I was born in the United States and grew up speaking English predominantly, even though my family did speak my native language at home.
I had about a first-grade level of understanding with my native language, which meant I did not fully understand everything the preacher said every Sunday. I knew about this guy named “Jesus,” and a bit about the Bible, but I was not a follower of Jesus until one summer in my senior year of high school. I was invited to go to a Bible conference for
teens and it was at this conference where I heard the preacher share the Good News of Jesus Christ, because he was preaching in English.
I remembered all of this so clearly. It was the first time I truly heard the gospel and understood just how important this guy named “Jesus” was and how He loved us so much that He would give His life for us. Even though I didn’t know Him, He would give His life for me—this completely rocked my world. It was like a lightbulb came on and I felt this tug in my heart that Jesus was calling me to follow Him. This was the distinct moment when I started following Jesus. Whether we realize it or not, Jesus is calling each and every one of us to follow Him.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for working in my life before I even realized You were calling me to You. Help me to follow You.
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