We moved. We packed up 18 years of living, put it in a U-Haul truck and moved to another state. Some might say, "Big deal," because in our "mobile" society packing up and moving from place to place is a way of life for some folks. Not us.

We're the homebody types. We're the ones who live in Hometown, USA all of their lives. We're the stable ones who are involved in so much that we couldn't possibly pack up and move because it would leave so much stuff out of whack. But we did just that.

After months of prayerful thought and long discussions with my wife, I decided to look for a new job. Thanks to the Internet and e-mail I found a transfer to a new job in just a couple of months, in another state. Now the work had to start.

In just two short weeks we packed up all of our belongings, sold our home, said goodbye to our family and friends, and moved to a place where we didn't know a soul. We did all of this so fast that I don't think the reality of it all has sunk in yet. But as our first week in our new home came to an end and things began to slow down a bit, I began to study what impact this move may have on our lives. We know that there will be new friends, new contacts and new opportunities coming our way. Our move went so smoothly that we both agree that God must have something for us to do here.

In the New Testament, there are several examples of folks whose lives dramatically changed due to "new jobs" that they chose. For instance, those who followed Jesus left occupations, family and friends to follow a man they knew nothing about.

We can look in Matthew 4:18-22 and see an example of some of those who followed Jesus. Two brothers, Peter and Andrew answered the Master's call and immediately followed him. Then we see two more brothers, James and John, who left their father Zebedee and went with Jesus. Also in Matthew 9:9 we can read where Matthew, a tax collector, left a lucrative occupation to follow the Lord.

Today, we must be willing to sacrifice all that we have to follow Jesus. Just like picking up and moving to a place one knows nothing about, we must face the challenges of following Christ. While moving to a new place means leaving family and friends, following Jesus may require us to part company with friends even though they may just live down the road. While starting a new job in a new town can be stressful at best, doing the "job" of a Christian is a daily challenge that we must take on with vigor and zeal.

I believe that a fitting close to this article would be that of the words of Jesus when he gave his disciples (and us) the ultimate challenge: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24).