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)