Jesus Calls Us

Jesus calls us o’er the tumult
of our life’s wild, restless sea
day by day his sweet voice soundeth,
saying, “Christian, follow me!”

As of old the apostles heard it
by the Galilean lake,
turned from home and toil and kindred,
leaving all for Jesus’ sake.

Jesus calls us from the worship
of the vain world’s golden store,
from each idol that would keep us,
saying, “Christian, love me more!”

In our joys and in our sorrows,
days of toil and hours of ease,
still he calls, in cares and pleasures,
“Christian, love me more than these!”

Jesus calls us! By thy mercies,
Savior, may we hear thy call,
give our hearts to thine obedience,
serve and love thee best of all. 

Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895
License: Public Domain
Source: http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh398.sht

•  This hymn was written to express the call of Jesus to his disciples as described in Mark 1:16-20. In verse 1, how does the author help the singer to personalize a call to the first disciples and internalize it? What phrase sounds just like your daily life?
• What does the hymn writer say the first disciples had to leave behind? When Jesus asks you to be a disciple, what do you leave behind?
• What goals of secular self-actualization are addressed in verse 2? What is the hardest thing to leave behind? (Hint: it isn’t money)
• Everyone knows somebody who worships busyness. How does the hymn writer address that temptation?
• It is not easy to put Jesus first. It isn’t easy to put anything ahead of fulfillment of our own desires. How does the hymn writer help us pray about this problem?