What do we give to follow Jesus?

By Allie D.

Jesus died on the cross for me--for you--for everyone--so that we all could experience both immortality and eternal life. He suffered excruciating pain, both emotional and physical, during His Atonement, so that we could one day be reunited with Him and our Father in Heaven. All He asks is that we follow him.

Some people give up everything to follow Jesus, and they do it as soon as they are asked.  Consider this story from Matthew 4:18-22 (emphasis mine):

 18 ¶And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were ^afishers. 

 19 And he saith unto them, ^aFollow me, and I will make you^bfishers of men. 

 20 And they straightway left their nets, and ^afollowed him. 

 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of ^aZebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he ^bcalled them. 

 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

 What an inspiration.

Peter and Andrew are fishing, catching the food to provide for their families, and Jesus comes up and tells them that famous line: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And immediately, they leave their nets in the water to follow Jesus.

Today, it would be as if Christ Himself walked into your office building, saw you at your computer, working hard to provide for yourself and your family, and invited you to come follow Him so you could be a fisher of men. What would you do? Would you stand up and leave your work?

What about the people who stared as you walked away?

What about your boss, gaping or threatening you as you left your job behind?

Then think of James and John, on the ship with their father. At Jesus's invitation, they leave not just their nets, but their ship and their father, Zebedee. What was Zebedee's reaction? Did he support them leaving him alone to mend the nets? Was he bitter that his sons would leave him to follow some uppity blasphemer from Galilee? It's possible that James and John left even their relationship with their father behind in order to follow Jesus Christ's calling to them.

Today, we're asked to sacrifice things too, in order to follow Jesus. He asks us to keep the commandments--not just the Ten Commandments, but the commandments to "love the Lord thy God with all thy ^aheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself"  (Luke 10:27). The commandment to love God and others requires the sacrifice of our pride, our self-centeredness, our time, our resources--everything we have. These are the things we are called to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus.

I know that as we do sacrifice those things, Jesus teaches us better how to love Him and love others--and we are blessed for it more than we can understand prior to our sacrifices. The more we sacrifice to follow Jesus, the more He is able to bless us with the love that fills our hearts with joy. I know that as we follow Him, and love and serve others the way that He would, the end result is peace and a happiness that does not compare with the false happiness that comes from placing the self above all else. Jesus is the way to peace in this life, and I know that as we sacrifice to get to know Him better, He blesses us in return.

What do you give up in your life to follow Jesus? What blessings have you gained from following Him?