“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want the chance to change the world?” said Steve Jobs as he tried to recruit John Scully from Pepsi. Scully later called it a life-defining moment for him. As a gifted and successful executive with Pepsi, Scully questioned the potential of the upstart Apple computer. Jobs’ appeal helped him move to Apple and history was changed.
Now envision Jesus walking along the seashore in Galilee and speaking to two sets of fishermen. Simon Peter and Andrew were fishing when Jesus found them. James and John were mending their net. Of course, one has to make a living. Fishing was one way to put food on the table. But Jesus invited them to something greater. He asked, in effect, “Are you going to spend the rest of your life fishing or will you follow me and help me change the world?”
Jesus’ question still calls for a response. How will we spend the rest of our lives? The day we decide to follow Jesus, he begins to make something new out of us. Former fishermen began to fish for men. On other occasions they would get back in the boat. Once Peter decided to return to fishing. But Jesus kept calling him back. It is a matter of priority. Is making a living the main thing in our lives or do we desire to make a life? One friend said to me, “We are all in ministry. We just fund it in different ways.” Christ followers find that far from depriving us of life, Jesus gives us the life that is really life. Don’t you want to live that life? I do.
