Ordinary to Extraordinary

Remember those sports car commercials that promised a particular company's car was better at speed and handling? You don’t see them much now that the focus "to be green" has gained so much prominence. They promised 0-60 in 4.5 seconds…or something like that…however long the seconds... it was pretty quick. From the outward appearance these cars looked like any other sports car, but the advertising promised extraordinary performance.

In Matthew 4:18-22 we see a picture of four ordinary men. Looking at them they were nothing special, just plain fishermen - but when Jesus entered their lives they became extraordinary!

18) As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19) Come, follow me, Jesus said and I will make you fishers of men. 20) At once they left their nets and followed him. 21) Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called to them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

When Jesus called these four men, not one of them asked how following Him was going to improve their lives, how it was going to make their business better, their quality of life better, get them a bigger house, a larger salary, more friends, more influence in their community…a better position in their church…. They didn’t need time to think it through. They didn’t have to go and talk with their family and friends, they didn’t need to see a five-year plan or talk to the Small Business Administration. They didn’t need to know the mission, the goals, or the objectives before they made the decision to follow Christ. The scriptures say “at once and immediately” they followed him.

Sometimes, we are called and we delay. We ask ourselves, "Will our friends and family think we are becoming a fanatic?" We try to figure out the repercussions, we weigh the pros and cons; we get caught up in the work of a committee or church board. We consider who will have their feelings hurt, who will support us, we try and put together a plan; when we should really just pray and seek His step-by-step directions. All the while we are delaying the 'work' God has called us to do. Now, I'm not saying a plan is not a good thing…however, if the planning delays the work of God. I’m just saying…we only need to look at Jonah to see what happens when we delay the work of the Master.

If we are His, God calls us to be used by Him, in His timing, for His glory, for His purpose. He calls us to be faithful to Him. When we love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our strength, when we depend on Him, when we put HIM first…He will definitely use us; in big ways and small ways. We won’t have to ask someone else if our calling is from God. We will surely know without a doubt and we must go and do “at once.”

One of my favorite hymns reminds us… "Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey." Can you hear Him calling you or is the noise of a life lived to satisfy yourself drowning out His voice? Today, will you trust and obey? Will you follow Him into the battle for the souls of man…immediately and at once?


Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”