Matthew 4:21-22 (NKJV)

“Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

There are two challenging things that we need to leave behind if we are to follow Jesus effectively, and these are the departure from family and personal ambition. The sons of Zebedee understood this and paid the price to become Jesus followers. Though costly and heart-wrenching, these two crosses must be borne for genuine followership to happen.

Love for family is one of the deepest loves we can have, but when the love for family contradicts the love for God, then the love for the family must go. Similarly, a desire to be successful is a critical desire, but once this becomes the priority of our living, it will ultimately lead to a conflict in following Jesus. Family commitment and personal ambitions must not be understood as bad for they are not, but they must never become our life anchors or life priorities. Following Jesus may demand that we sacrifice these two loves to follow correctly. The real question, therefore, becomes: “Are we willing to make the painful sacrifices to follow properly?”

“Lord, I cannot brag that I had made these sacrifices in the past because I know that the sacrifices demanded are always in the present tense. So teach me, Lord, to know when You are demanding it of me and grant me the heavenly unction to follow You correctly irrespective of the personal sacrifice. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen.”