<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 1;16-20<div><br></div><div><b>16. &nbsp;Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.</b></div><div><b>17. &nbsp;And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become ‘fishers of men.</b><b>’”</b></div><div><b>18. &nbsp;And immediately they left their nets&nbsp;</b><b>and followed him.</b></div><div><b>19. &nbsp;And going a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.</b></div><div><b>20. &nbsp;And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><span><i>“Follow me, and <u>I will make you</u>&nbsp;fishers of men.”</i></span></div><div><span><i><br></i></span></div><div><span>Whatever God wants us to be, He will make us, <u>if we follow him.</u>&nbsp; A follower of Jesus is called a ‘disciple’. &nbsp;A few things Jesus said about being a disciple:</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. &nbsp;For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’”</i>&nbsp; (Matthew 16;24&amp;25)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“Jesus then said to the Jews who believed in him, ‘If you continue in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’” &nbsp;</i>(John 8;31&amp;32)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>If you consider these two together, it would seem our Lord is in part saying…</span></div><div><span>“If you intend to continue in my Word, you must deny yourself.” &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Committing ourselves to be followers of Christ requires us to make difficult and painful choices.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>In the end though, it is Christ who changes us, we cannot change ourselves. &nbsp;Although we can certainly prevent Jesus from changing us by resisting and rejecting the Holy Spirit’s attempts to&nbsp;urge&nbsp;us to&nbsp;discipline ourselves <span>and intentionally</span>&nbsp;abide in his Word. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>This applies to both our private&nbsp;personal&nbsp;devotional life, our public worship life, and our life of application walking by the Spirit in&nbsp;what we learn. &nbsp;A devotional or worship life in the Word&nbsp;without allowing the Holy Spirit to inspire us to act on Jesus Words, is empty of change.</div><div><br></div><div>The Jews have a word for this, it is called a ‘mitzvah’ &nbsp;which means,&nbsp;‘<u>actions</u>, based upon the commands of God.’&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Such actions are the work of God within us. &nbsp;He, “<i>makes us into fishers of men” </i>we can not ‘make ourselves,’ but we sadly can refuse to be transformed. &nbsp;Rebellion is within human power, and it is our natural response to the call of Christ. &nbsp;Change and transformation is entirely the work of God in us. &nbsp;If we deny ourselves, carry our crosses, and follow him, it is Christ at work in and through us. &nbsp;He gets all the credit and glory. &nbsp;If we refuse to deny ourselves seeking to <i>“save our lives”&nbsp;</i>(selfishly), (we) <i>“will lose them</i>,” (forever).</div><div><div><br></div><div>Being a follower of Jesus means leaving things which once were important to us behind.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us wisdom to recognize and respond to&nbsp;your ‘callings’ upon us. &nbsp;Deliver us from our natures, we pray, in Jesus, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”<br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 1;16-20
16.  Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.17.  And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become ‘fishers of men.’”18.  And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19.  And going a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.20.  And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Whatever God wants us to be, He will make us, if we follow him.  A follower of Jesus is called a ‘disciple’.  A few things Jesus said about being a disciple:
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’”  (Matthew 16;24&25)
“Jesus then said to the Jews who believed in him, ‘If you continue in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”  (John 8;31&32)
If you consider these two together, it would seem our Lord is in part saying…“If you intend to continue in my Word, you must deny yourself.”  
Committing ourselves to be followers of Christ requires us to make difficult and painful choices.
In the end though, it is Christ who changes us, we cannot change ourselves.  Although we can certainly prevent Jesus from changing us by resisting and rejecting the Holy Spirit’s attempts to urge us to discipline ourselves and intentionally abide in his Word.  
This applies to both our private personal devotional life, our public worship life, and our life of application walking by the Spirit in what we learn.  A devotional or worship life in the Word without allowing the Holy Spirit to inspire us to act on Jesus Words, is empty of change.
The Jews have a word for this, it is called a ‘mitzvah’  which means, ‘actions, based upon the commands of God.’ 
Such actions are the work of God within us.  He, “makes us into fishers of men” we can not ‘make ourselves,’ but we sadly can refuse to be transformed.  Rebellion is within human power, and it is our natural response to the call of Christ.  Change and transformation is entirely the work of God in us.  If we deny ourselves, carry our crosses, and follow him, it is Christ at work in and through us.  He gets all the credit and glory.  If we refuse to deny ourselves seeking to “save our lives” (selfishly), (we) “will lose them,” (forever).
Being a follower of Jesus means leaving things which once were important to us behind.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us wisdom to recognize and respond to your ‘callings’ upon us.  Deliver us from our natures, we pray, in Jesus, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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