In His Word 7-18-16
And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee ,
He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were
fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow
Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left
their nets and followed Him. Mark1:16-18
Are you casting your net? Are you giving the Word
of God to people who are out there floundering in the waves? Fishermen cast their
nets out and bring in loads of fish often times so big that it weights the boat
down and makes travel choices change.
One day Jesus told the men to put the nets on the
other side of the boat and at first they may have questioned him, after all
they had just tried fishing for hours to no avail; but once they did it the
boat was so full that they had to call a second boat to help bring in the load!
Sometimes when God tells us to go fishing on the
other side of the boat we wonder what He is thinking. We already tried fishing
in that area; what good is the other side going to do?
Sometimes it may just be a difference in the
direction that causes us to receive a blessing from God!
In this blessing the disciples to be found a
complete direction change meant more than just a net full of fish! Not only did
they bring in a fruitful meal for their families and financial gain but they found
the Lord walking among them!
They found a new life direction!
What if they decided they knew more than that man
on the shore? What if they just though that he was being a smarty pants and
ignored him thinking he didn’t know what he was talking about?
They would not have, some would say, but really
what if?
Those the Lord blesses will
possess the land, but those he
curses will die. The Lord directs the
steps of the godly. He delights in
every detail of their lives. Though they
stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by
the hand. Psalm 37:22-24
In this promise God has
said those who the the Lord blessed will inherit the land, He directs the path
of the godly. So the men on the boat would do the thing He said because He was
God. Some people do not know the voice of the Lord.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him,
and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by
name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what
he meant, so he
explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for
the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true
sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in
through me will be saved. hey will come and go freely and will find
good pastures. The
thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a
rich and satisfying life. John 10:3-42
Read
the full passage and you will find that Jesus not only shows us that we will
know His voice but also that the Holy Spirit will open our ears to hear His
voice in the first place! He is gate,
but we also know that He is the Good Shepherd and that we are the sheep of His
pasture.
Once we know who
He is, and we choose to follow Him because he is God, then many blessings will
follow. But don’t get me wrong, just giving us blessings is not the full reason
for Him to call us, it is to give us a focus of bringing more into the fold.
It is not about
us after all, it is all about bringing people to God and the knowing of Him and
acceptance of the fact that He loves us all. All of this begins with the simple
step of tossing the net out on the other side and not knowing what will happen;
still obediently trusting God to direct our paths.
Dear Heavenly
Father, make me a fisher of men today. Thank you Lord for directing us to throw
the net on the other side, and thank you for the abundance you give us when we
place our trust in You, completely. In Jesus name, amen.
Suggested
reading, John 10:1-42, Mark 1: 1-45, Psalm 37:1-40 and Galatians 1:1-24