I wrote this a few years back, and as I sit here today, I find this devotional as relevant now as it was then. There is someone out there that needs to hear this I guess, because I feel compelled to re-share it. Our lives are full of journeys. Some long and some shorter. There is no time like today to start the journey you want to take. Prepare yourself spiritually and start with prayer. Jesus wants to join you on your journey. Include Him. He believes in you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Journey (2017)

Is there something missing in your life? Do you feel called to something but don’t know what it is? Do you feel that Jesus is calling you to a better life?

It seems hard to leave the familiar behind, even if the familiar is less than you know you need. The beauty of embarking on a new journey is the adventure  it brings. So, what prevents you from following Jesus on the adventure of your life?

At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:18-20

Jesus was a rabbi. When Jesus came to Simon and Andrew he said, “Come, follow me.” When a rabbi said, “follow me“, he was affirming that he believed that the person he called could be like him. Jesus was telling these men, I believe in you, I know that you can meet the call, I know that you can follow in my footsteps. This was more than a call–it was an affirmation of self-worth. Jesus called simple fishermen like Simon, Andrew, James, and John. He also calls you and me to follow Him, to be like Him and to live a life that makes a difference! When he calls us, it means that he also believes in us.

Jesus doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!

As I look at my life, I look at what I left behind: unresolved pain, unresolved addiction, unresolved relationships and so much more. It was hard for me to embark on this new journey and to leave these things behind. Why was it hard? Because these things, though bad for me, were at least familiar. Embarking on a journey takes us into the future–into the unknown.

Sometimes, there are sacrifices to make in following Jesus. For example, I gave up a corporate job which paid well to follow Jesus into pastoral ministry. Still, I have never looked back. Even though there were times that it seemed better back where I had come from. I walked on, day by day, until a moment came that I knew I had reached the edge of my desert and had found the Promised Land.

That time was the moment that I finally recognized how much and how deeply God loved me and that His journey was the one to embark on.

Is Jesus calling you? What keeps you from going on this journey?

Jesus says, “Come, follow me.” He believes in you! He knows that you can make the journey.

~ By Jan Puterbaugh, Associate pastor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~