[Darris McNeely] I've done a number of Dailies on becoming a disciple. We focused on Elisha and Elijah in the Old Testament, based on the story that Jesus made His statement, where He said to put your hand to the plow and don't look back. I'd like to start a new part of that series and focus a little bit on Jesus and His calling of His disciples and how He worked with them in His ministry.

In Matthew chapter 4, verses 18 to 22, we read of Jesus beginning to call some of His disciples form their occupations that they had. Verse 18, it says, "Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fisherman. And He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,' and they immediately left their nets and followed Him" (Matthew 4:18-22).

Christ called these men, these disciples, from the walks of life that they had – fisherman, tax collectors, other roles that they had – to the invitation to "Follow Me." They lived with Him, they travelled with Him, for three and a half years during His earthy ministry. They were taught by Jesus Christ. All of those men who watched Him, watched His example, and in doing so, they learned a great deal as they travelled and lived with Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh. They learned to live as human beings, as God would live. And that was a remarkable thing.

You see, Christ was God in the flesh. He was the Son of Man. And as He lived, taught the example of how God would live in the flesh. These men, these disciples, who formed His inner core of apostles with Jesus Christ – they learned to focus upon that and to see all the nuances of everyday life with Jesus Christ, and that was the essence of how He discipled them and really, it is how one is discipled even today – mentored in a job, in a craft, in a trade, in a calling or a discipline. To be disciplined, and to become a disciple, we have to do exactly as Jesus worked with His disciples. Sometimes, living and working day in and day out of a master is the best way.

Jesus said, "Follow Me." To be following Christ is to be trained in His mind and in His character, and to be mentored on a daily basis by Him. The apostle Paul wrote this one phrase. He said, "Let this mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ" (Philippians 2:5). If that mind is ever to be within us, and we are to become His disciples, then we have to learn to follow Jesus. And that takes a lifetime of daily contact and a daily relationship with Him, just as He invited His disciples to do with Him. Christ's invitation is still the same. It is, "Follow Me." As we think about how He worked with His closest disciples, let's all ask ourselves if we are willing to follow Him and let His mind be in us.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.