Matthew 4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
Are You Obeying?
How long does it take for your child to respond to an instruction you give? How long does it take for you to respond to an instruction from an authority in your life? We oftentimes think that obedience is a matter of doing what we are told to do, but it is much more than that. It is not just what we do or how we do it, it is when we do it. There is a huge chronological element in any act of obedience. Without being timely, I am not really obeying. I am not obeying if I decide when I will obey any more than I am obeying if I decide what I will obey.
The Bible tells us about Jesus’ call to His disciples. Matthew 4:18 says, “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 fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”
Later, regarding the call of James and John, verse 22 says, “And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” Talk about abrupt and quick! These men were obeying at a lightning-quick pace.
“Straightway” in verse 20 and “immediately” in verse 22 have the same meaning. It means the shortest and quickest route between two places. It does not mean meandering or taking the long way, but instead getting right to it. How long does it take for you to obey, and how long does it take for your children to follow your direction? I need to be an example of immediate obedience, and I need to be equipping those that I am responsible for to do the same.
If someone calls the fire department because a house is burning down, and the firemen don’t come for two hours, it doesn’t matter what they do when they arrive because it is too late. These disciples responded immediately, like good fireman to a call.
The kind of obedience the disciples illustrate here is a matter both of immediacy and duration. That is to say, it is a matter of how quickly it began and how long it lasted. Just because I obey once doesn’t mean I am obeying now. Just because I surrendered my life to Christ when I was a teenager doesn’t mean I am living in light of that right now.
Following Christ means obeying the human authorities in my life, and it has an element of time. Both how quickly I respond and how long I am faithful are important when it comes to my obedience to God. If you don’t know the big scheme of where God is leading you right now, just be quick to take the first step and trust that God will give you more light as you have the heart to obey.