Manna for Your Morning

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. — Luke 5:9-11 (NKJV) One characteristic of a disciple of Jesus Christ is that they forsake all. In Philippians 3:8 (GW), the Apostle Paul says, “I consider everything else worthless because I’m much better off knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It’s because of him that I think of everything as worthless. I threw it all away in order to gain Christ” Another trait of the early disciples is that they followed Jesus. They did not make any excuses. Jesus said,  “Follow Me” and they simply followed Him. When we forsake all and follow Him, astonishing things happen in our midst!

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. — Acts 4:13 (GW) Does your behavior and speech reveal to others that you have been around Jesus? We tend to become like those we hang around. When you spend time with Jesus, you start to resemble Him. You may have received no formal training, but God generously gives wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5). The Lord takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. Spend quality time with the Lord, and those around you will be astonished and take note that you have been with Jesus!