'Follow Me'
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They were fishermen before they heard the call. Casting their nets into the Sea of Galilee, Peter and Andrew stopped as Jesus of Nazareth approached, looked into their eyes, and spoke the simple words, "Follow Me," said Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Matthew writes that the two fishermen "straightway left their nets and followed Him."
Speaking Saturday morning, Elder Wirthlin recounted how James and John were mending nets in a ship with their father when the Son of Man approached. Jesus called to them. "And [they] immediately left the ship and their father, and followed [the Lord.]"
"Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to have lived in the days of the Savior?" asked Elder Wirthlin. "If the Savior were to call to you today, would you be just as willing to leave your nets and follow Him? I am confident that many would.
"But for some, it may not be such an easy decision. Some have discovered that nets, by their nature, are sometimes not so easy to leave.
"We sometimes think of these four men as modest fishermen who did not sacrifice much when they left their nets to follow the Savior. To the contrary," said Elder Wirthlin, "Peter, Andrew, James and John were partners in a prosperous business . . . and Peter, 'Was well to do in a material way. . . .' "
Nets are generally devices for capturing something, Elder Wirthlin explained. "We might define a net as anything that entices or prevents us from following the call of Jesus Christ.
"Nets in this context can be our work, our hobbies, our pleasures and, above all else, our temptations and sins. . . . A net can be anything that pulls us from fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
"It is impossible to list the many nets that can ensnare us and keep us from following the Savior. . . . I do not know of another period in the history of the earth that has been so filled with such a variety of entangling nets. . . . It is easy to get caught in a multitude of nets.
"Sometimes we feel that the busier we are, the more important we are — as though our 'busyness' defines our worth."
Elder Wirthlin said, "That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts and our souls on those things of eternal significance — that is essential. . . .
"In the midst of the noise and seductive voices that compete for our time and interest, a solitary figure stands on the shores of the Sea of Galilee calling quietly to us: 'Follow Me.'
"How do we follow the Savior? By exercising faith. . . .by repenting of our sins. . . by entering the waters of baptism. . . by obeying Him. . . .
"In contrast, when we cling to our sins, our pleasures, and sometimes even our perceived obligations; resist the influence of the Holy Ghost; and put aside the words of the prophets, we then stand at the shore of our own Galilee, nets tightly entangling us. We find ourselves unable to leave them behind and follow the living Christ.
"We have nets that must be tended and nets that must be mended. But when the Master of ocean, earth and sky calls to us, 'Follow Me,' we should leave the entangling, worldly nets behind and follow His footsteps."
