Weekly Devotional: October 14, 2026
DEVOTIONAL
by Major Rick Raymer
Territorial Pastor To Former Officers/Spiritual Life Development Resource Officer
GOD’S WORD
Matthew 4:19
“Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
DEVOTIONAL
“Jesus Says…Follow Me” (Part I)
I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men, I will make you fishers of men if you follow Me, if you follow Me, if you follow Me, glory hallelujah! I will make you fishers of men if you follow Me.
Did you sing it? I certainly did! I remember as a kid singing that chorus and not understanding what it really meant. I’m going to throw my fishing line at a man, and hopefully he will bite the hook?!?
As I got older, I realized what the chorus meant, and as I got to know Christ better, His word hooked me.
Matthew 4:19
“Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
When I realized what the chorus was talking about - the fact that Jesus was going to use me to win people unto Himself…WOW! Now, that’s a game changer!
I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men…IT MAKES SENSE! And that’s what Jesus did as He met people throughout His life, especially in His last three years up until His death and after He conquered death. HALLELUJAH! HE’S ALIVE!
JESUS SAYS…
Remember the game, “Simon Says?” Let's see if you remember it:
Simon says stand up
Simon says hop on one leg
Simon says wave your hand
Simon says clap your hands
Simon says look to your left
Simon says look to your right
Simon says look up
Simon says look down
Simon says turn around
Everyone sit down
Okay, this is the honor system: how many of you sat down?!?
Indulge me…one more, please. Have you ever heard of the game, “Jesus says?”
Jesus says follow Me
Jesus says I am the way
Jesus says I am the truth
Jesus says I am the life
Jesus says there is no other way to heaven except through Me.
Jesus says Watch and pray
Jesus says to seek Him first thing every day
Jesus says read your Bible
Jesus says love your enemies
Jesus says Blessed are the pure in heart
Now, it's one thing not to do what Simon says - I mean, come on - Simon says - is just a game - and for the most part it's played by kids. It means nothing if we disobey Simon - the worst thing that can happen is we get kicked out of the game.
It’s quite a different story if we don't do what Jesus says - because if we mess up on the things He tells us to do, we might miss out on eternal life. When Jesus says to follow Him, we need to pay attention!
Now, just like with Simon, we don't have to listen to Jesus, but the ramifications of not doing so are huge. With Jesus, eternity hangs in the balance! Jesus says, FOLLOW ME, and He will make you FISHERS OF MEN.
THE BREAD OF LIFE
Someone once said that Christianity is “one beggar telling another beggar where to get some bread.”
As you and I live our day-to-day lives and meet people along the way, have we taken the time to tell folks lately about the bread of life?
Andy Stanley says that "Regardless of what you believe. Regardless of how you behave. Jesus invites you and I to follow Him. At the end of the day, the question isn’t how far along on your spiritual journey you are, but whether you are following Jesus.”
I believe that! Remember the thief that hung upon the cross next to Jesus –
"Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus said, “today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23)
Basically, the thief was saying to Jesus - I believe in You. When you and I ask Jesus to remember us when He comes into His Kingdom, His response will be the same as that thief. Today because of your belief you will spend eternity with me, and He will give us the wisdom to live out that Sunday School chorus, “I will make you fishers of men.”
That reminds me of another chorus we sing in the Army...
“I'll follow thee of life the giver, I'll follow thee suffering redeemer, I'll follow thee deny the never - by thy grace I'll follow thee.”
Really?!? Will you and I follow Him and deny Him never? It's a question we must answer. And it’s a question that Jesus threw out to the people He met on His journey to the cross.
UNLIKELY RECIPIENTS OF GOD’S MERCY
You and I are more than likely recipients of God’s mercy. We are broken, sinful, wayward, rebellious people. We are not worthy to stand in the presence of Jesus. Our sinful self-focus testifies to the fact that we have no place at the table of God. As Jesus journeys to the cross, He has every reason to pass us by. And yet…HE DOES NOT. Hallelujah!
Mark tells us of more unlikely recipients of God’s mercy in Mark 8:34.
“Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
The chorus says that we should never deny, and Mark’s Gospel tells us that we must deny...The song is talking about how you and I, who claim the blood of Jesus Christ, should never deny Him in any area of our lives. Mark, on the other hand, says that if we want to be His disciples, we must deny ourselves, take up His cross, and follow Him.
I like what one commentary said about this verse: Stay tuned for next week’s devotional to see what it is…!