Put Your Net Down

Matthew 4:19–20 (NKJV)

19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Let that scene play out in your head for a minute. Simon-Peter and Andrew, sitting there on their boat, literally minding their business, and Jesus comes by and tells them to just leave that endeavor to follow Him… and they do! I think I have mentioned it on another devotional but all I can picture is Forest Gump jumping off his shrimp boat to swim to Lieutenant Dan, without warning, without stopping his boat, just jumps in and swims to his friend. Is that the type of obedience we have toward Christ?

Abide In Him

John 8:31 reminds us of a very important commandment… (31) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed… Do you want to be a disciple of Christ? Do you want to follow after Him? Do you desire the promises He has made? We must abide in Him if we desire these things. Sometimes that means laying down nets that may be very uncomfortable for us to drop.

Throw It In The Fire

My friend and pastor Ross encourages us to search for the things that need to be thrown in the fire for the advancement of our walk with the Lord. Not only laying things down, but burning them up so that we cannot return to them at a later, weaker time. Really examine the things in your life that you must lay down, and then put in the fire to allow the Lord to do His work in your life. Is it drinking? Is it anger? Is it an addiction to something else? Whatever is hindering your walk with the Lord, throw it on that fire with the goal of advancing your walk.

Why?

While all of us may not be called to put our nets down as far as our employment goes, we are all called to be fishers of men. There is a select few being called to the ministry on a full-time basis, that is for sure. The vast majority of us, however, are being called to advance His kingdom. Why should we throw some of those things on the fire? We must live Christlike lives in order to be fishers that produce believing men. Without a strong witness, it is nearly impossible to capture the attention of the intended target. When you are a changed man or woman, when you look and sound different from the world, people will wonder why. If they look into your life and the world they have already experienced is all they see, there is no reason to look any further. Be a fisher that looks different and the bounty will be sure to follow.

Closing Thoughts:

We are all called to be fishers of men, now what do you look like in that position? Do you look like the world, or do you look like Jesus? When you live for and through Christ, you can expect a plentiful bounty!

2 John 9 (NKJV)

9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.