Don’t Just Mend Your Net

Matthew 4:21-22 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

When I was a senior in high school, like many others, I struggled with where I should go to college.
I knew that I wanted a four year degree, but I also knew that I wasn’t ready to leave home.

So, I ended up attending a technical college for a year with a plan to go a second year as well.
As the end of my first year came, I began to believe that God wanted me out of the house and into the 4 year school I had chosen.

To be honest, I didn’t care much…
I wasn’t ready to leave home.

During the summer of that year, a lady from my church came up to me and said,
“Jonathan, I appreciate all you do here, but I really believe it’s time for you to go away and learn how to do it even better.”

WOW!

I knew what I had to do.
God had spoken it to me, now He used someone else to confirm it.

You see, I knew what I was doing wasn’t what God had for me.
I knew that even though I was planning on going and becoming a pastor,
I wasn’t exactly where God wanted me.

James and John had the same kind of experience in this passage…

They were doing what they always did.
Hanging out with their Pops, doing the family business.

BUT,

Notice that they were trying to mend their nets.
Some translations say “Preparing their nets.”

Something just wasn’t quite right about where they were and what they were doing.
They were prepared for something different.

What they were doing wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t godly.
It was mediocre, not miraculous.
It was a living, but not really LIVING.

So, Jesus called…
And they answered.

They were willing to leave everything they knew.
Everything they were comfortable with.

If you feel like something isn’t quite right about where you are,
no matter how “good” or “acceptable” it may be,
seek God.

We usually know what His calling is and why we feel a little uneasy about what we’re doing.

We just have to do it.
We have to quit doubting it’s really Him speaking and do what He called and equipped us to do.

I’m glad I did.
I met my wife at the 4 year University.
I graduated.
I was prepared  for God’s next place.

Don’t just sit around mending your net…

Obey the call.
Follow Christ.