Net Gains

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him.”—Mark 1:16-18

It’s true that Simon and Andrew, and then James and John, as well as countless others down through the corridors of time, have boldly "left their nets" and thrown themselves into following Christ in some type of life-long, singularly-focused ministry or mission. This is a fantastic pursuit, something many dream about, and a high calling indeed. But maybe it's just as high a calling when you can't just drop everything and 'go for God'. And maybe that's the point, after all. Because if all God's children suddenly dropped their nets, so to speak—our means for family provision that come from our places of influence at work and community—then the seasoning and light of the Gospel wouldn’t go very far, and certainly wouldn’t have sustained its lively flavor for more than 2,000 years.

Perhaps, then, what’s behind Jesus' call to “Come, follow Me” is primarily about first-place affection in all things, with the net result being hearts that "at once" and altogether beat for what matters eternally, even while living within and among all that is temporal and in need of Redemption.

And if so, it's good to know that no matter where we are in life's journey, no matter what our passion and calling or job, and no matter how distracted we may become by our day-to-day responsibilities, God has already declared He has supreme confidence in being glorified through all of it...as we follow:

"Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

Vision for Life

“Pattern yourselves after me—follow my example, as I imitate and follow Christ the Messiah.”—1 Corinthians 11:1, Amplified

It's quite possible that the most important tool in Heaven's arsenal for becoming a daily Christ-imitator is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. It's not the one that helps produce the most eloquent prayers, the loudest shout of praise, or even the best schedule of reading and ingesting Bible verses. But this tool does have a unique way of quietly overpowering the gnawing inbound "me-myself-and-I" voices to the point that we start thinking and living more Upbound and outbound.

As it should be.

Soft? It's not even close to being wimpy. But it is a tool that's meant to be worn, and in fact, its strength has been known to be a life-changer wherever it has been lived out.

Just as it was, and is, the foundational trait of the Chief Cornerstone (Philippians 2:4-11), O Lord, help us each day to make it a priority to put on the cloak of servant humility : increasingly resident in our hearts toward You and Your ways...and resolute in our attitude toward those You have put in our path and in our hearts.

Be THOU my Vision, O Lord of my heart...
 

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

A 21st Century Proverb

Wonderful WORDS OF LIFE 

that are ingested from here:

OR, ieven ihere: 

are good for MARINATING here:

                    

              But BETTER still...


that they CONNECT here: 

so that they will FLOW to here:

 and REACH here... 

...and, especially, BE REAL here: 

          (for as long as we are still here)

                                                        SELAH....

"I’m not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy through teaching them Your words of truth. As You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world, and I consecrate Myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness." - John 17:15-19, Living Bible

Wanna Get Away?

 davidkanigan.com

“In the morning before the sun was up, Jesus went to a place where He could be alone. He prayed there. “ —Mark 1:35

There’s certainly something to be said about those wee hours of the day, when as Elizabeth Yates once wrote, “The silence is so intense that the striking of a distant clock comes into it like sounds from another world.” But if “morning” is the key word in this passage about daily communion, then a whole bunch of people are out of luck—people with young children, those who work third shift, and just about anyone who’s built in such a way that they don’t fire on all cylinders until at least after lunch.

Fortunately, there’s the rest of the story: Jesus also “went to a place where He could be alone” in the middle of the day (Matthew 14:23) and late at night (Luke 6:12). So, perhaps the more significant matter is not when we get away, but rather the vital importance of pursuing our daily nourishment of heavenly fellowship when there’s minimal distraction….

When the noise of life is turned down a few decibels. (Is it ever fully “off”?)

When people are few and far between

When there’s no tugging on garments for attention

When no interoffice messages are mandating you attend yet another meeting

When to-do lists aren’t screaming quite so loudly in our brains.

How good to know that the throne of grace is open 24/7, and that no matter which minimal-distraction hour works best, the same promise holds true: “He is a Rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.”