Very often, the light we receive when we open the Word comes from asking the right questions.

So, I would like to ask you a simple question about the Bible, if I may; but, to be fair, I’ll let you know up front that I’m not going to answer that question in this Note. Instead, as the Lord allows, I’ll do that in the next. (I want to do it this way to give you some time to consider and find the answer for yourself; I think you’ll appreciate it more if you do.)

The question is simply this:

What was the very first thing Jesus ever said to someone who sought to follow Him?

Of course, to answer that question you just have to consider, which of the four Gospels shows us the first contact the disciples had with Jesus? Then you only need to find the first thing He says to them in that Gospel. So, it’s not a hard question at all.

But, the answer is quite meaningful.

When I was a new believer, the brother who brought me to the Lord cared for me and shepherded me a good deal, and this was one of the things he pointed out to me in the Word. I think he first asked me that same question, though he may have just shared it with me outright; I don’t quite remember. But either way, it has been a great help to me ever since as I have followed the Lord. And so I wanted to pass that along, as I hope that, if you see it for yourself, it will also help you in your own walk with the Lord.

But, as I say, I plan to share more about this in the next Note in this series.

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—  12 December 2024 —