... Matthew 4:18-22 ...
Jesus called the fishermen (Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John) to leave their profession behind and to immediately begin following Him. He would take them from fishing for fish and make them fishers of men. The calling carried with it a cost, for it involved not only leaving their profession, but also their family responsibilities.
The imagery of these men fishing with “nets” is significant in that Jesus was not calling them to fish like a person fishing with a line and pole, just to catch a single fish. Rather, Jesus was calling them to cast nets widely and to gather many to Him, so many could hear the Good News and be saved. Also, the imagery of sitting on the shore under a tree and lazily “hooking” a fish is quite different from the imagery of these men
casting nets. Fishing with nets can involve long hours of dedicated and strenuous work, often with mixed results.
Jesus may not call all of us to leave our professions and families, but He does call all of us to spread the Good News within our “nets of influence”. Our sphere of influence may be with family, friends, at the workplace, at school, or a place we shop. He may also call us to cast our net of influence into areas outside our comfort zone which makes us rely more on Jesus and less on our own abilities. Jesus is still calling us today and inviting us to join Him in His missionary work. It’s a radical call for dedicated and strenuous effort to catch men, women, youth, and children for Jesus.
***
Jesus, I praise You for calling me to fish for You. Forgive me for failing to impact my sphere of influence for You. Help me to use my gifts to draw those within my net of influence to You. Help me to step out of my comfort zone so that I might be an effective fisher of men.
Jesus called the fishermen (Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John) to leave their profession behind and to immediately begin following Him. He would take them from fishing for fish and make them fishers of men. The calling carried with it a cost, for it involved not only leaving their profession, but also their family responsibilities.
The imagery of these men fishing with “nets” is significant in that Jesus was not calling them to fish like a person fishing with a line and pole, just to catch a single fish. Rather, Jesus was calling them to cast nets widely and to gather many to Him, so many could hear the Good News and be saved. Also, the imagery of sitting on the shore under a tree and lazily “hooking” a fish is quite different from the imagery of these men
casting nets. Fishing with nets can involve long hours of dedicated and strenuous work, often with mixed results.
Jesus may not call all of us to leave our professions and families, but He does call all of us to spread the Good News within our “nets of influence”. Our sphere of influence may be with family, friends, at the workplace, at school, or a place we shop. He may also call us to cast our net of influence into areas outside our comfort zone which makes us rely more on Jesus and less on our own abilities. Jesus is still calling us today and inviting us to join Him in His missionary work. It’s a radical call for dedicated and strenuous effort to catch men, women, youth, and children for Jesus.
***
- How are you being intentional in seeking to use your “nets of influence” as a missionary to spread the Good News?
- How will you become more dedicated and strenuous in your efforts to catch fish for Jesus?
- How has the Lord Jesus been calling you lately? Has He put someone on your heart to fish for? Who is it? Have you responded?
Jesus, I praise You for calling me to fish for You. Forgive me for failing to impact my sphere of influence for You. Help me to use my gifts to draw those within my net of influence to You. Help me to step out of my comfort zone so that I might be an effective fisher of men.
0 comments:
Post a Comment