“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
If you are in Christ, you should see yourself this way: as a follower, disciple or learner of Christ. Jesus instructs us, “Follow me.” But, what does it mean to learn of and follow Him? You might follow a tour guide at a historical site learning all kinds of fascinating information. But, this is precisely not what Jesus has in mind. Our learning of Him is not just picking up interesting tidbits of information that will not transform our lives.
To follow Christ means to learn from and imitate Him. Or said this way, it is to hear and obey Him, learning His word and applying it in our lives. In order to follow Him then, we must actually be taught by Him. How does Christ teach us? Primarily thru His word. A reading of the Gospels shows how much empahsis Jesus put on His teaching ministry. His aim was not just to heal the sick (which He mercifully did), but to teach the eternal truth of God.
He is still teaching today. Not in physical person, but through the Spirit thru the Scriptures. Disciple, you must diligently search the Scriptures to learn from Jesus Christ. You must hear the word of God taught as He has ordained. Don’t neglect this in your life. His word transforms the way that we think and live as we apply it to our lives.
What a joy and privilege to be in the school of Christ! It is a glorious learning and living that fills the soul. As we live this life, may we seek to “fish” for others to see the beauty and glory of our Jesus.