Fishermen --> Followers --> Disciples of Nations
I am reading a book on leadership called Lead Like Jesus (Revisited), and it mentioned something that, for some reason, just didn’t click with me until now.
When, for instance, Jesus first took on His disciples as “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19, ESV) and sent them out, He provided specific instructions about where to stay, what to wear, and what to do. But the disciples grew and matured over time; soon they weren’t enthusiastic beginners who needed detailed direction, and Jesus changed His style accordingly. At the end of His ministry on earth, Jesus was able to issue His disciples this general directive: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). 1
Much like us in life right now, and let’s be honest, none of us really know what we’re doing, we’re just doing the best we can every day. By going to God, He will guide us in what is right. By trusting in His plans, since He wants what’s best for us, He points us in the direction to go, holds our hands, and builds us up until we’re ready for the next step or stage of our lives.
As quoted above, this was seen in real time with Jesus and His disciples. A huge chunk of my life I’ve spent waiting to swing for that opportunity to help others, but those moments haven’t come as quickly as I expected them to. I now believe that this is because God is still working on me so that I can be there for others in the way He intends me to be, not how I believe I should be.
God will guide us to where we need to go, who we need to talk to, and what we need to do. He’s simply amazing and He is love - you can trust him.
Blanchard, Ken, Phil Hodges, and Phyllis Hendry. Lead Like Jesus Revisited: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time. Revised ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016. Chapter 2, p. 11.↩