Come, Follow Me: Called to Be Children of God

Devotional

Day 1: God's Unconditional Love and Acceptance

You are deeply loved by God, not because of anything you do, but simply because you are. This truth is a profound gift, freeing you from the need to earn or prove your worth. Embrace this radical acceptance and let it transform how you see yourself and others. It's a reminder that you are already seen and cherished, exactly as you are. [20:02]

Bible passage:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

Reflection: In what specific ways do you find yourself trying to earn God's love or approval, and how can you begin to release those efforts by embracing the truth of His unconditional love?

Day 2: Responding to God's Call with Availability

Jesus sees beyond our past failures and perceived shortcomings, recognizing our potential and availability. He calls us to follow Him, not based on our accomplishments, but on our willingness to embrace His vision for us. Like the fishermen He called, we are invited to leave behind what holds us back and step into a life of purpose and grace. [43:33]

Bible passage:
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. He said, 'Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.' At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:18-20, NIV)

Reflection: Where in your life do you feel called to "drop everything" and follow Jesus more closely, and what is one small, tangible step you can take this week to express that willingness?

Day 3: Being the Light in a Heavy World

Even when the world feels heavy, you are called to carry the light of God within you. This light is not meant to be hidden but shared, illuminating the world with peace, joy, and hope. Your actions, inspired by prayer, can become the answer to the needs you see around you. [17:14]

Bible passage:
"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)

Reflection: In what specific situations this week can you intentionally bring the light of God's peace and joy, even when faced with challenging circumstances?

Day 4: Embracing Our Identity as Children of God

The most fundamental truth about you is your identity as a beloved child of God. This is the first thing Jesus sees, and it's a truth we are called to recognize in every person we encounter. Moving beyond labels and judgments, we are invited to see the divine spark in everyone, fostering unity and love. [46:35]

Bible passage:
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." (1 John 3:1, NIV)

Reflection: When you encounter someone with whom you have significant differences, how can you consciously shift your perspective to see them first and foremost as a child of God?

Day 5: The Power of Being, Not Just Doing

Sometimes, the greatest challenge is simply to "be" present, rather than constantly striving to "do." Jesus calls us to follow Him, and this journey is less about a checklist of tasks and more about embracing a way of life. By being present and open, we allow God to work through us in profound ways. [32:57]

Bible passage:
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." (Matthew 4:19, NIV)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you feeling pressure to "do" more, and how might you find a deeper sense of purpose by simply choosing to "be" present with God and others?

Sermon Summary

Jesus walks along ordinary shores and invites ordinary people into an extraordinary vocation: not primarily to perform tasks, but to be transformed and to become the presence of God's light in the world. The narrative moves from everyday banter and community announcements into scripture—Isaiah’s promise of light and Matthew’s account of Jesus calling fishermen—to show that God’s work often begins by noticing the overlooked. These fishermen, thought to be lesser by the religious education system of their day, are summoned not because of accomplishment but because of availability and posture. What Jesus values first is who people are: children of God, not a résumé of past successes or failures.

The sermon contrasts a culture of doing with a vocation of being. Using a personal beach story, it illustrates the disorientation that happens when activity is stripped away and one is simply asked to be present. That posture—willingness, attentiveness, and availability—becomes the starting point for discipleship. Jesus doesn’t recruit the elite; he calls those whom society passed over and entrusts them with reshaping history. The invitation to “come, follow me” reframes discipleship as an embodied way of seeing: to view every person first as beloved, and to allow that identity to reorient action.

Prayer and action are intertwined: prayer prepares and informs, but the faithful are meant to become answers to their prayers through tangible mercy, peace, and joy. The ethic of following Jesus is concrete—walking a road of love, prioritizing others’ needs, and embodying compassion—rather than a checklist of credentials. The church’s life—worship, shared meals, caring for one another, and participation in sacraments—serves as both rehearsal and enactment of this calling. Finally, the communion liturgy emphasizes inclusivity: the table is open, and participation is an invitation to remember that Jesus did the work; followers are called simply to receive and to go forth representing God’s reconciling presence.

Key Takeaways

1. The call to follow persists The invitation “Come, follow me” is not a one-time demand but an ongoing summons that meets people in the ordinariness of life. It reorients identity away from achievement and toward availability, asking for attention and willingness rather than performance. Saying yes is less about competence and more about attunement to Jesus’ way of seeing the world. [26:18]
2. Being matters more than doing Discipleship starts with being present, not doing tasks to earn favor. The discomfort of “having nothing to do” reveals how much identity has been tied to activity rather than to standing as a beloved child of God. When the posture shifts from busyness to attentiveness, action flows from grounded presence and clarity of vocation. [32:57]
3. Jesus chooses the overlooked The gospel shows Jesus selecting those whom religious and social systems had sidelined—people whose pasts did not qualify them for prominence. This subverts meritocratic expectations and opens ministry to the marginalized, proving that God’s agents often emerge from rejection. The shape of kingdom leadership is found in availability and courage, not prior accolades. [41:13]
4. See everyone as God’s child The first lens Jesus asks followers to adopt is one of inherent worth: before labels or politics, see “child of God.” This reframing destabilizes tribalism and forces a countercultural ethic—treating neighborly needs as primary and recognizing dignity where systems obscure it. Living by that vision reorients public life and private practice toward reconciliation. [46:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:27] - Announcements & Community Life
[07:01] - Call to Worship & Opening Hymn
[12:16] - Opening Prayer & Isaiah Reading
[25:55] - Gospel Reading: Jesus Calls Disciples
[27:52] - Beach Story: Being over Doing
[41:13] - Jesus Chooses the Overlooked
[55:09] - Communion Liturgy
[65:50] - Final Prayer & Sending

Bible Study Guide

Here is a Bible study guide based on the sermon summary:

Bible Reading

Matthew 4:18-22 (NIV)
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Isaiah 9:1-2 (NIV)
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by way of the sea, along the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

Observation questions

Jesus saw fishermen mending nets and going about their day. What does this tell us about where Jesus often shows up and who he notices? [07:01]
When Jesus called the fishermen, what did they immediately do? [26:18]
The sermon mentioned that the disciples were thought to be "lesser" by the religious education system of their day. What does this suggest about who Jesus often calls? [41:13]
The sermon contrasted a culture of "doing" with a vocation of "being." What was the personal beach story used to illustrate this difference? [27:52]

Interpretation questions

The sermon highlighted that Jesus calls people not primarily for what they *do*, but for who they *are*. How does the disciples' immediate response of leaving their nets challenge our modern ideas about needing qualifications or a résumé before following Jesus? [26:18]
The sermon suggested that Jesus calls those whom society overlooked. How does this subvert the typical expectations of leadership and influence in the world? [41:13]
The sermon described the disorientation that can happen when activity is stripped away, leaving one to simply "be." What does this discomfort reveal about how we often tie our identity to our busyness? [32:38]
The sermon emphasized that Jesus' first invitation is to see everyone as a "child of God." How does this perspective challenge the way we might naturally categorize or judge people based on their actions or backgrounds? [46:35]

Application questions

The invitation "Come, follow me" is presented as an ongoing summons that meets us in the ordinary parts of our lives. Where in your everyday life do you sense Jesus inviting you to "come, follow me" right now? [1578s]
The sermon suggested that being present and available is the starting point for discipleship, rather than needing to perform tasks. When you feel overwhelmed or unsure of what to do, how can you practice simply "being" present with God and others? [1977s]
Jesus chose fishermen who were likely overlooked by the religious systems of their time. In what ways can we intentionally look for and value the contributions of those who might be on the margins of our communities or workplaces? [2473s]
The sermon encouraged us to see every person first as a "child of God," before any labels or political affiliations. How can you practice this countercultural ethic in your interactions this week, especially with someone you find it difficult to connect with? [2795s]
Prayer and action are intertwined, with faithful people meant to become the answers to their own prayers. What is one prayer you've been praying lately, and how might you tangibly embody the answer to that prayer this week through acts of mercy, peace, or joy? [15:12]
The communion liturgy reminds us that Jesus did the work, and we are called to receive and go forth representing God's reconciling presence. How can you actively represent God's reconciling presence in your sphere of influence this week? [55:09]

Sermon Clips

``It's not just something that we can say, oh, well, we have the the light of God. It's so that we can share it. And one of the ways that we do that, of course, is we pray for the world in which we live. But maybe now more than ever, we pray and we act. We pray, and what we are in fact praying for is to become the answer to our own prayers. If we are praying for peace and joy, let us bring peace and joy. [00:15:05] (37 seconds) #PrayAndAct

it would be silly for me to say that the world the world feels heavy right now. Right? It would be silly for me to say otherwise. There's a lot happening. Luckily, luckily, God does not call us to ignore the world around us. In fact, God calls us to be citizens in the world that is around us, to affect change in the world that is around us. We carry the light of God with us wherever we go. [00:14:27] (38 seconds) #CarryTheLight

What is it that Jesus is asking us to follow him into? Because realize that it is way easier for us to say yes to Jesus. We know what we're getting ourselves into. Peter, James, John, Andrew, they had no idea what was going to happen. But for us, Jesus is saying, come. Follow me. Walk in the way of love. Walk in the way of mercy. Walk in the way of care and compassion. Walk in the way that places others' needs first. That's what it means to come follow Jesus. Now there are a lot of things that are saying to us, come follow me. [00:45:17] (41 seconds) #WalkInLove

And if they're fishing with their families, that means that no other rabbi selected them. It means that at some point, they didn't make the cut. They didn't set out to do what they were always trying to do. They were not successful in what they were trying to do. And this new rabbi comes along, and he's walking down the beach, and he's walking on the docks. And what does he say? Come. Follow me. And they do. Because, of course, they do. [00:40:30] (46 seconds) #AnswerTheCall

And the way the rabbi would extend the invitation to these students is the rabbi would gather together these kids, and he would look at them. He would look at the best of the best, the people that he thought could do what he was doing in the world, and he would say to them, come. Follow me. And it's at that point that these kids these kids in Beit Talmud, it's at that point that they were expected to drop everything and follow the rabbi. [00:39:01] (41 seconds) #DropEverythingFollow

Alright. I'm about to tell you. Here it is. Everything you need to do to get God to love you more. Ready? One, two, three. I told you. Nothing. That's exactly right. That's exactly, exactly, exactly right. Do you know why? Do you know why that's exactly right? Because god is already crazy about you. [00:19:40] (41 seconds) #GodAlreadyLovesYou

Because on this trip, the trip that I was talking about, I was the travel agent. I was in charge of looking up the next thing to do and how far it was away. I had to know about closing times and admission costs and travel times. How long will it take for us to get there in the California traffic? I had to know all of those things. I knew what I had to do, and now here I was on the beach. Everyone had their own thing, and I had nothing to do. And it was disorienting. [00:33:02] (39 seconds) #PracticeBeing

Why? Because before anything else before anything else, it doesn't matter what we've done. It doesn't matter what we're doing. It matters who we are. Because when Jesus looks at us, the first thing he sees is a child of God. That's the first thing that Jesus sees and notices about us. [00:46:15] (25 seconds) #IdentityOverActions