Lay Down Your Nets

I've been thinking quite a bit about nets lately—fishing nets to be exact. See, I was reading in Mark 1:14-20 and the word just kept jumping off the page at me...nest, I mean. Check this out...

14Later on, after John the Baptizer was arrested, Jesus went back into the region of Galilee and preached the wonderful gospel of God’s kingdom. 15His message was this: “At last the fulfillment of the age has come! It is time for God’s kingdom to be experienced in its fullness! Turn your lives back to God and put your trust in the hope-filled gospel!”

16As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he noticed two brothers fishing: Simon and Andrew. He watched them as they were casting their nets into the sea 17and said to them, “Come follow me and I will transform you into fishers of men instead of fish!” 18Immediately they dropped their nets and left everything behind to follow Jesus. 19Walking a little farther, Jesus found two other brothers sitting in a boat, along with their father, mending their nets. Their names were Jacob and John, and their father Zebedee. 20Jesus immediately walked up to them and invited the two brothers to become his followers. Jacob and John dropped their nets, stood up, left their father in the boat with the hired men, and followed Jesus.

Can you picture this scene? The sights and sounds and smells? Do you see the men - two of them casting their nets and two of them repairing them? Do you see Jesus walking into their place of work (incredibly inconvenient) and asking them to leave their livelihood behind? And don't overlook the fact that Jesus was completely uninvited! He just showed up.

Jesus said, "Follow Me" and they all dropped their nets. The thing they knew. The thing they were good at and comfortable with. The thing that provided for them. Immediately they left behind what they knew to follow a Man they just met.

Jesus didn't leave them where they were comfortable. Why? He had a purpose, something specific for them.

He calls you to follow Him for the same reason. He's got something for you. Wanna' know what it is? Lay down your nets and follow Him.

In case no one has told you today, you are loved and appreciated. And now you know.