Today's Passage - Matthew 4:18-22

Matthew 4:18-22   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. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.  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 them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.   When the kingdom of heaven comes, the first thing that happens is that people will acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and follow him. When Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon, Andrew, James and John, and called them to follow Him. When Jesus called them, they were very busy fishing because it was their job. In other words, they were busy with their lives, but when Jesus called them, they left their nets and followed Him and walked His ways. They placed the Lord above their careers and jobs.   What position does the Lord have in your work and career? It may not be God's will for every person to quit their jobs to go into full time ministry, but His will is for us to declare Jesus as Lord in our everyday lives. Things that keep people from following God may not be evil things, but are often the little things in life. Many people say, "Lord, you know I am busy with feeding my family, wait till my job is stable, kids are grown and I've made enough money, then I will follow you." Jesus' calling in our lives is never in future tense, but is in present tense. It refers to follow Him in your current job position, to be a witness for Him. The Lord wants you to draw near to Him, to serve Him and to follow Him.   There is no place in the world where following the Lord is easy, but as long as you are willing to live for the Lord, He will give you wisdom to solve your work problems, and give you strength to face the difficulties in relationships. The Lord will also give us the joy of winning souls. Jesus said, "Come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Although catching fish is a joy and your work accomplishments may bring you joy, these are temporal. There is no earthly joy that will surpass the joy of winning souls. When you win a soul for the Lord, it last for eternity. The more you serve the Lord, the more joy you will have, Hallelujah!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, thank you for calling us to follow you every day. May your Holy Spirit guide us so that we can declare you as our Lord in our jobs and may your glory and blessings be manifested in our lives. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!           Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!