Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (NIV)

Following Jesus changed Peter and John.  Obviously, it changed their religion.  They were born Jewish, and when they died, they were Christian.  It did more than that; it changed their vocations.  When they met Jesus, they were fishing for a living; they had no reason to believe they would ever do anything else.  Following Jesus, He led them away from their boats and turned them into fishers of men.  Following Jesus changed their character.  On the night that the Jewish leaders called for Christ’s crucifixion, His disciples allowed their fear to control them.  Only a few weeks later they preached with boldness before the same priests and Elders.  They were uneducated, but after following Jesus, they spoke with knowledge and authority.  Following Jesus changed everything.

Unfortunately, many people limit the change following Jesus makes.  They pray a prayer, join a church, and call themselves Christians.  Some of them allow it to change their Sunday routine and not much else.  Others, with a deeper understanding, recognize that following Jesus is about being reconciled to God, and they are excited about their new relationship.  They speak with God on a regular basis and seek to practice an awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Some take this issue of righteousness even more seriously, and with the help of the Holy Spirit’s guidance they begin to mend broken relationships in their life.  Where needed, they work to make restitution.  They begin to study issues of morality and work to live a moral life.  To arrive at this point in your walk with Jesus is good, but it is not as good as it gets.  God does not want to limit his influence in our life to just the spiritual, the moral and our relationships.  God wants to influence every aspect of our life.  When we seek God’s guidance in every aspect of our life, there is no telling where it will take us.  The journey with Jesus will be amazing; He will take us farther than we ever dreamed was possible.