Decision or Disciple?

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me; and I will make you fishers of men.’”  Matthew 4:19

Decision: The act of making up one’s mind; a resolution; to determine by making a judgment.

Disciple:  Any follower of Christ; a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another.

Many churches are more concerned with counting decisions than making disciples of Jesus Christ. Is it possible to profess Christ publicly, and yet not follow Him? I would argue that it is. Christianity is more than a one-time prayer or decision. It is a daily lifestyle of knowing Christ and making Him known. While we do not have to do anything to be saved except believe, this belief will be evidenced by obedience to Christ.

When Jesus called His disciples, He didn’t ask them to make an intellectual or even an emotional decision. He asked them to give up their lives as they knew them in exchange for different lives. Jesus would transform them from fishermen to fishers of men. They surrendered everything to follow Him.

Did they make a decision? Of course, they did. But discipleship did not end with that initial choice to leave everything and follow Jesus. In fact, that was just the first of many decisions to surrender…to suffer…to trust…to obey. Salvation means following Jesus, not just mentally deciding that He is who He says He is. Even Satan knows that Jesus is God’s Son.

As Christians, we choose each day to live out the initial decision we made to follow Christ. We are students of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The One who made the heavens and the earth and reigns over all is not only our Savior but also our Lord. His call is to follow, to surrender, to trust, and to obey. We have given up in order to gain something invaluable. The riches of His glory cannot be quantified.

It should humble us that He has even invited us to follow. Our boasting is not in our decision but in His grace and mercy. This is the life of a disciple. This is the joy of a disciple. It is a privilege to answer “yes” to Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for calling me to follow You. Although it isn’t always easy, it is always worth the sacrifice. Give me the grace to decide daily to answer, “yes” to Your calling on my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.