A Beachful of Nets

“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once, they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-20.

The day was nothing special…it was a day like every other.  They had responsibilities to carry out in their day to day life.  We cannot be sure of their to-do list but we can be sure it was clear and well defined, all being centered around their livelihood, fishing.   I can’t help but to think that, as enthusiastic as they were (‘they left their nets at once’), their minds had to be racing.  ‘How will we live?  What does He mean by fishers of men?  Where will we go?  At what point we will know more?’  They immediately responded to His invitation, but more in theory than reality.  They spent the next three years following, observing and learning from the One who had called them, getting only glimpses of what was up ahead.  With each day came question after question for Jesus who was always there to clarify, teach and comfort.  They were still questioning even up to his death, never really understanding the full body of the ministry to come.

Every child of God was ushered into the world with a kingdom purpose and the ability to accomplish this purpose through following Jesus.  There seems to be a random selection for the proper time for which we are called.   This is not the case as God sees where we are in our life and what is up ahead.  Once the call is made on our lives, it is the beginning of our walk with Jesus along the countryside following, observing and learning.  He leads us into the lows of darkness to witness His light.  He leads us to the highs of our joy to view the blessings.  What began as a call to the disciples eventually ended in their deaths through painful and difficult situations.  But, the precious kingdom work that was accomplished was the birth of the church that we are blessed with today.  Our lives are a living and breathing call from God to continue this spiritual legacy. 

No doubt the call on your life has been a difficult one, one full of pain and suffering.   God has asked you to follow Him into sorrow through the loss of a loved one.  The Father has asked you to lay down your net and follow Him into a medical crisis.  He is requiring something of you that is only a glimpse and requires great faith to get there. 

We must lay down our nets when He calls us, instead of dragging our nets of fears and doubts which will only hinder our walk.   Around every corner we see those amazing stories of faith that builds our own faith.  ‘Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders…and so easily entangles….run with perseverance the race marked out before us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus….’  Hebrews 12:1-2.

The call on your life is not random and senseless.  It is the call marked out specifically for you to accomplish something critical in the kingdom… hand chosen by God through His faith in you to endure…persevere… and to overcome.  Our lives are being blessed by God on earth in ways we cannot see, only to be matched one day in heaven.  God never wastes one second of our pain and receives our acts of faith during the dark times as an offering.

Whatever God has called you to is met with the ability to endure and overcome through Him alone…just lay down your net and follow Him.