They Left Everything to Follow Him
Month 3: Come, Follow Me · Memory Verse
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 5:11
11 And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.
Memory Verse
“And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.”— Luke 5:11 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 9-12
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 76 of 365 — Saul is anointed Israel's first king.)The Heart of It
Yesterday the nets were overflowing. It was the most successful day of fishing Peter ever had. So what do these men do with their greatest catch? They walk away from it. They "left everything and followed Him." Stop and feel how strange that is. The fish were worth real money. The boats were their family business. The biggest haul of their lives was lying right there on the shore. And they left it on the sand to go after a Teacher who owned no boat at all. They had finally tasted that Jesus could give them everything. And the very next thing they did was leave everything for Jesus. That's not a contradiction. It's the whole point. Once you've seen who He is, holding on to lesser things loses its grip on you.
"Left everything" is a big phrase, and it's worth being honest about it. Jesus doesn't ask every follower to quit their job and abandon their family. Peter still had a house and a boat to come back to later. What Jesus asks is that nothing outranks Him in our hearts. Following Jesus means He gets first place over our stuff, our plans, even our successes. That's why this is our memory verse this week. The call "Follow Me" always costs us our throne. But notice the order in the verse. They first brought the boats safely to land. Then they followed. Jesus is not careless with what we leave behind. He just refuses to share His throne with it. Say the verse together a few times tonight. Let those two words land in your hearts: left everything.
Around the Table
The fishermen had a HUGE pile of fish. And they left it to go with Jesus, because Jesus is the best!
Let's do it: Hold up your favorite toy. Then open your hands and say, "Jesus, You're better!" Now say the verse: "They left everything and followed Him."
"Left everything" means they put Jesus first, ahead of even their best day ever.
Let's talk: What is one thing you'd find hard to put after Jesus? A game? A toy? Being the best at something?
Following Jesus doesn't always mean quitting your job. But it always means nothing else sits on the throne of your heart.
Let's go deeper: What competes with Jesus for first place in your life right now? What would it look like to let go of its grip on you this week?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could keep only ONE thing you own, and had to give the rest away, what would you keep? And why?— The disciples kept Jesus and let the rest go.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Skeptics sometimes say the disciples followed Jesus to get something out of it. But here they walked away from their best payday ever. And most of them later died poor, hunted down for refusing to deny Him. That's the opposite of a get-rich scheme.
For Dad · Go Deeper
"Left everything" is a verse that quietly examines a father. We rarely abandon Jesus outright. More often we just let good things quietly climb onto the throne. Career momentum. The renovation. The kids' sports calendar. Even ministry busyness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that "when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." He said this not because Jesus is harsh, but because resurrection life only comes on the far side of surrender. So tonight, before you lead the prayer, do a private inventory. What is the "great catch" you'd find hardest to leave on the sand if Jesus asked? Naming it is half the surrender. Your children are watching to see whether Jesus is your first thing, or just one of your good things. And they will set their own hearts to match yours.
Draws on: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, You gave us everything. Help us give You first place. Show us anything we love more than You. And give us the courage to let it go and follow You. In Jesus' name, amen."
Once I've seen who Jesus is, leaving everything else behind isn't loss. It's the best trade I'll ever make.