Leaving All…Following Him By Joel M. Killion E-mail, joel@cherubimnetwork.com Website, cherubimnetwork.com/innerlife
	In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus noticed four men – Peter, Andrew, James and John – who were hard at work in “the family business” and called them to the highest calling of all…to "be with Him;" He said, “Come after Me…let Me be your Guide” (Amp). Their response to the Lord was immediate and entire… “At once they left” their “nets,” their “boats,” and their “father” to join Jesus. The Message Bible says it like this: "They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed...they were...quick to follow, abandoning boat and father" (v. 20 & 22). Think about it – they abandoned everything; they left their jobs (the source of their stability), their future (the “family business”), their families and their comforts. They left all they were accustomed to and immediately “followed Him” without questioning Him in any way. They surrendered everything and went after the Lord. To the logical mind, this made absolutely no sense whatsoever. How could they leave everything that “made sense” to follow this stranger – this mystery-Man – without a clear, rational idea of all that lay ahead? Were they crazy or did they know something that couldn’t possibly be known naturally? Notice, the Lord didn’t follow them; He didn’t suit their fancy; He didn’t compromise with their preferences; He didn’t negotiate with their fears or flaws. He simply said, “Come after Me…let Me be your Guide, follow Me.” He called them and they followed. They relinquished everything they had worked so very hard to build and followed the Master, through the “narrow gate,” into “unknown” territory (Matt. 7:13-14; Lk. 13:24). They left everything they had ever known in order to follow the Light of the world. Everything they left behind was “death” compared to the Life of the One Who was about to take them on the greatest adventure this world has ever known. Words cannot describe the weight of such a call. Like the “cloud” of Numbers 9:15-23 in the midst of Israel, the Lord Himself took the lead; at His charge, they journeyed and at His command, they tarried. When He stopped moving, they encamped with Him and when He moved, they moved. They did not live in permanent structures of mortar, brick or wood but rather lived in tents of canvas, rods and rope. As a result, they lived lives of constant, unpredictable instability, disconnected, on a daily basis, from all that would provide them with security. Like a floating feather, Israel was completely yielded to the current of the wind - erratic and painful as it was - as it blew through their lives. They were vulnerable to so many dangers – the heat of the day, the chill of the night, fire, hail, floods, snakes, sand storms, enemy armies and so much more. There was no place to find certain safety; all they had was the Lord. His pillar of fire kept them warm in the night while His pillar of cloud kept them cool at midday. And when armies came to take their lives or capture them, the Lord was their strong tower of protection. He was literally their "all in all." Day and night, they lived dependent on Him. “And so it was constantly.” Those who really loved Him lived yielded lives as they followed His lead – not their own. Their entire lives were given to His care, without fear or concern. He was plan “A” and there was no plan “B.” Every square inch – every part – of their existence was subjected to His pleasure so that He was everything to them – the indwelling and controlling factor of their lives. Those who choose to live this kind of life – literally – “walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]” (Gal. 5:16, Amp). This is genuine Christianity, where our conduct is wholly and solely committed to the absolute control of the Holy Spirit Himself (Gal. 5:25, Amp); the center and circumference of our lives are entrusted to His care. This is faith – leaving all and following Him only. During Jesus earthly ministry, there were times when He would be stopped by those who had every intention of following Him wherever He went. When they saw Him pass by, they noticed something within His life that was sadly lacking within their own. And so they pursued Him in order to be with Him. In Matthew 8:21 (Amp), one of Jesus’ very own disciples said He would follow Him. And yet, with all their seeming devotion, they had one stipulation – “Lord, let me first go and bury [care for till death] my father.” To this Jesus immediately responded, “Follow Me, and leave the dead [in sin] to bury their own dead.” (v. 22). As you can plainly see, the intention of this “disciple” was good. But in Jesus’ eyes, good intentions are not good enough. To truly follow the Lord, one prerequisite must be settled once and for all: He must be FIRST – everything else must be last. The disciple in the passage above, allowed the Lord to be second to their dying “father.” In Luke 9:61 (Amp), another well-intentioned follower said, “I will follow You, Lord, and become Your disciple and side with Your party; but let me first say good-bye to those at my home.” Without hesitation, Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God” (v. 62). Again, this person meant well, but their half-hearted procrastination toward the Lord revealed an inward state of “lukewarmness” in their love for the Lord. When they said, “But…first,” they made it all-too-clear that their heart was far too “attached” to “those at…home,” divided between the Lord and other “things.” Jesus’ standard of commitment was and is very high. To Him, “putting our hands to the plow” AND “looking back” is unacceptable. He wants all or nothing. This is very plain, but very true. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other…” (Matt. 6:24, Amp). We cannot love Him and trust in other people or things at the same time. In Matthew 16:24-25, (Amp), Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security...] shall lose it…; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security…] for My sake shall find it. ” Leaving all includes denying ourselves – disregarding ourselves, losing sight of ourselves, forgetting ourselves and forsaking our own interests – taking up our cross, losing our lives and forsaking the whole world. Following the Lord requires that we first “leave all,” so that we can whole-heartedly attend to Him and His pleasure; those who take this straight and narrow path will cleave and conform to Him alone “in living and, if need be, in dying, also.” This is what it means to be a “living sacrifice.” If, in the process of following Him, we lose everything – houses, property, possessions, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children and friends – for His name’s sake, then so be it. And we should rejoice, for we will receive a hundred times more and will inherit the Life of God Himself (Matt. 19:29). Jesus said that if we do not hate our own fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children, brothers, sisters and even our own lives – in comparison to Him – we cannot be His disciple (See Luke 14:26). This is what it means to leave all and follow Him. This is courage. This is love.