When He was on earth, Jesus never coerced any to be His followers by outward force a single word was sufficient to subdue the stoutest heart!
If He said to Matthew the greedy tax collector, "Follow Me!" then not all the wealth of kingdoms could detain His willing captive!
If He said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately!" then behold, the covetous extortioner is instantly transformed into His benevolent and obedient follower!
He effectually called to Himself, whomever He desired.
Such was His all-constraining power, that, without hesitation, they left all that they had, and followed Him! And though He promised His subjects nothing but poverty and persecution in this world, yet they all delighted to be His devoted followers and gloried in suffering for His sake. So entirely did they yield up themselves to Him, that opposition served only to rivet their affections to Him, and to confirm them in their determination to live and die in His service!
To this day, multitudes in every place take, as it were, an oath of allegiance to Him, and are made willing to even lay down their lives for Him!
[Charles Simeon]
Matthew 4:18-22 ... And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
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