Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-20)
Imagine this…
You’re at your place of work one day. You’re helping a patient, welding metal, waiting a table, teaching in a class and a guy comes up to you and tells you to follow him.
Now, many of us would think this guy was just a creeper and not pay any attention. We may even run away or call someone to help. But, if we did pay attention to him, we’d either say, “No way!” or we’d follow him with everything we have. Wouldn’t we?
That’s what Peter and Andrew did that day when Jesus called out to them. They were at work and he told them to follow him. The Spirit has certainly worked in their hearts, but I also imagine these men were looking for something. You know what I mean. They just didn’t feel like things were as they should be. They were looking for something more than throwing a net or living their daily lives.
So Jesus called them and they dropped their net like it was hot (see what I did there?). They dropped it in order to pick up what he had for them. In order to experience the more they were looking for, they had to drop the concept of security in what they knew. They had to abandon the nets in order to surrender to Jesus.
It still works like that. That’s what it means to follow Jesus. To drop the security that stuff provides in order to follow Jesus to the fullest extent. To be willing to follow His voice even when what’s familiar seems so much more plausible and viable. It means we give when we don’t really have. It means we step out when the water is rough.
What’s your net? What are you holding on to in the name of security or comfort that Jesus is telling you to let go of? It may not be to abandon your job… it probably isn’t. What it may be, though, is for you to quit a habit, mend a relationship, issue an apology, form a budget, release a worry, or make time for margin in your life.
You have to drop it in order to have it!
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