Two Options for the Type of Person You Can Be For God
There is a common saying in golf when you don't hit a putt hard enough to get to the hole. People will respond with "99% of the putts you don't get to the hole wont go in." Its a light-hearted saying that simply means, if you want to have a chance of making the putt, you have to at least hit it hard enough to get to the hole.My friend said something similar recently when he purchased a lottery ticket for the $600 Million jackpot. He said "the only way I am assured not to win the lottery is by not purchasing a ticket."Putting it simply, you will never know what could have happened if you don't give it a try. There are two stories I like to compare in the Bible on this topic, that are very similar, yet extremely different in terms of outcome.
Two options for the type of person you can be:
Story #1: The No Named Rich Man (Matthew 19:16-22)
In short this man asked Jesus what he needed to do to gain eternal life. Jesus ultimately told him to sell all his possessions and then come follow Him (Jesus). The Rich man did not, and he held onto his possessions and thus his story ends and he isn't even given a name in the Bible.
Story #2: Calling of the First Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22)
When Jesus called to Simon Peter and Andrew the Bible says they came "at once." Additionally when Jesus next called James and John it says they "immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Jesus gave them the option to follow and they al took it. And these men as a result saw things they could have never dreamed of sitting in the boat. They were each integral in the word of God and how God's love has been spread over the years. Just because they got out of the boat.
The point here is simple, and Nike said it best: Just Do It.
You have to try things and trust that God will not steer you wrong. You don't want to look back on your life and realize you were the rich man, who decided not to follow Jesus. When God calls you to do something and you hesitate or feel held back by something that is not eternal...do everything in your power to push aside what is holding you back and GO, FOLLOW and OBEY. I can promise you that you will not be disappointed.If you need a case study on this, look at the above Story #2. When is the last time you heard someone say, "You know what, I have tried too much stuff in my life, I think I'll stop trying things." No, undoubtedly it sounds like this; "I wish I had tried more." Don't be that person. Be a James or John. Be a Simon Peter or Andrew. Live knowing that you will act "at once" or "immediately" when Jesus calls you.