Weekly Devotional: October 21, 2026
DEVOTIONAL
by Major Rick Raymer
Territorial Pastor To Former Officers/Spiritual Life Development Resource Officer
GOD’S WORD
Matthew 4:18-20
DEVOTIONAL
“Jesus Says…Follow Me - Part II”
FOLLOW ME
I like what one commentary had to say about this verse: There is a price to pay for true discipleship. Jesus laid down three conditions for true discipleship:
- We must surrender ourselves completely to Him. “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves.”
- We must identify with Him in suffering and death. “And take up their cross.”
- We must follow Him obediently, wherever He leads.
Jesus says to you and me this day,
and to the people He met on His journey to the cross…
“FOLLOW ME.”
The question remains: Are you following Jesus? God desperately wants to work in our lives. He wants you and me to engage in this thing called church, and we do that successfully by following His Son, Jesus Christ, the lead Corps Officer (so to speak), the head of the Church.
You may be a mechanic by trade, teacher, farmer, construction worker, secretary, truck driver, boutique salesperson, plumber, IT technician. You may work at a grocery store, a hospital, or in a warehouse; you may be in the military, ministry, or still in school, and
Jesus STILL says… ”come – come
with what skills you have and follow Me.”
What does it mean when Jesus says to us all, "Follow me"? He is saying, if you’re a teacher, teach My word. A farmer, plant My seed. Construction worker, build up people in Me. Jesus is saying to you and me today: whatever you do, do it for Me, and let Me use you to win the lost.
In Matthew 4, we see four people Christ met on His journey to the cross.
SOMETHING STINKS
Matthew 4:18-20 (MSG)
Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.
A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee’s sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.
Jesus was calling His disciples – these stinky, smelly fishermen. No matter what your regular work entails,
Jesus says...FOLLOW ME!
Andy Stanley said this about following Jesus: "Sure, but where is He leading? What is the payoff to following Him? Is it being a better person? Is it life in Heaven after we die? Is it a pain-free life?”
Friends, if we follow Jesus and live Him out in front of everyone we meet, we will become better people. If we follow the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, living according to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will go to Heaven. You won’t necessarily have a pain-free life, but you will serve a God who understands you and will be right there with you every painful step of the way.
ARE YOU FOLLOWING CHRIST?
THERE WILL BE EVIDENCE
When you and I say yes to the invitation to follow Christ, there will be evidence that we are following Him.
Luke 3:9 NLT
When the crowds came to John for baptism, He said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8. Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
Luke 3:7-9 VOICE
7. In fulfillment of those words, crowds streamed out from the villages and towns to be baptized by John at the Jordan.
John the Baptist: You bunch of venomous snakes! Who told you that you could escape God’s coming wrath? 8. Don’t just talk of turning to God; you’d better bear the authentic fruit of a changed life. Don’t take pride in your religious heritage, saying, “We have Abraham for our father!” Listen—God could turn these rocks into children of Abraham! 9. God wants you to bear fruit! If you don’t produce good fruit, then you’ll be chopped down like a fruitless tree and made into firewood. God’s ax is taking aim and ready to swing!
Luke 3:7-9 MSG
When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and flourishing? Because if it’s dead wood, it goes on the fire.”
The question is not whether we claim to follow Christ, but whether our lives provide evidence that we do. Luke says that evidence is good fruit. Are people drawn closer to Jesus because of what they see in us? Do our lives reflect His character and His transforming power? God calls us to bear good fruit, and Luke's warning is clear: fruitless trees do not remain standing forever.
HERE AM I, SEND ME
When I think of the people that Christ met on His journey to the cross, I am moved in ways I cannot articulate because they were just ordinary people whom God used to do extraordinary things for His kingdom.
Simon, who we already mentioned, stunk like a fish when the Master called him. He is the same Simon whom Jesus called Peter and on whom God would build His church. He is the same one who denied Christ three times, and the one John said chopped off the high priest’s ear. God also used him to save over three thousand after preaching one of his first sermons. AMEN!
I have another question for us to mull over. When was the last time you shared Jesus with someone else? We came into a right relationship with Christ so that He could use us ~ so that we would tell others about Him.
When was the last time you intentionally went fishing for men, women, or young people? When was the last time you took the time to tell someone else about this Jesus who rocked your world?
And friends – if your world has not been rocked by Jesus, then you haven’t met my Jesus! Maybe that’s a bit too strong to say in this space, but friends, I believe that the greatest need of this hour is for us to rise up and actively engage in God's redemptive mission. The task of winning the world for Christ begins with our own willingness to say, "Here am I, send me."
Because Jesus journeyed to the cross, you and I have become recipients of God’s mercy.
Hellooooo!! That’s why we – of all people – need to be engaged in this war, this battle of being a beggar telling another beggar where to get some bread.
Jesus said to the people He met on His journey to the cross,
and to you and me this day…FOLLOW ME! FOLLOW ME!
The question still remains…ARE YOU?