Wrong Number, III

Sometimes I think I say no to God because he is asking me to do something I just don’t want to do.  There are many “I would rathers” in my life.  I would rather sleep in on Saturday than go to the riverfront and help feed homeless people.  I would rather keep some of my financial earnings for myself than give them to the church.  I would rather watch TV in the evenings than work to prepare a sermon.  It’s true that I would often rather follow my own desires than say yes to the work that God is calling me to do.  Maybe you have had that experience.  And yet, when I say yes to God, I often find that I am blessed beyond my expectations. I wonder if the four men called by Jesus that day had known how their lives would end if they would have said yes to him.  

Much of this is according to tradition, but tradition tells us that Simon Peter was crucified by Nero in Rome and Andrew was crucified in Greece.  The book of Acts tells us that James was killed by Herod.  John was the only disciples who lived a long life, but he was banished to the island of Patmos.  Would they have chosen differently if they had known?  I don’t know, but I imagine if any of the four had been asked at the end of their lives, “Do you regret saying yes to Christ?” none of them would have regretted their decisions.  Every call from God places in front of us an opportunity to trust that God is leading us in the right direction – to trust that his judgment is better than ours, and to trust that we will never regret following his lead.