Would You Drop Your Nets?

Visited Fusion Church yesterday, less than 10 minutes from our home (they meet in North Gwinnette High School). Tony McCollum did a fantastic job as they were finishing up their “Beyond the Game” series focused on serving.

One of the points Tony made struck me. He was talking about how to be used by God and was emphasizing that we need to be willing to “do whatever it takes” to follow when God calls. The disciples did this…

They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed. - Matthew 4:20, The Message, emphasis mine

What would that look like in our everyday lives? What nets are you holding on to? What things, that are a integral part of who you are or what you do is he asking you to let go of?

Nets often times provide the following…

1. Security and Comfort - The disciple’s nets where their livelihood, and integral to their job as commercial fisherman. Dropping their nets meant they would loose the comfort and security of having steady provision.
2. Self-Sufficiency - While they couldn’t make the fish jump into their nets, they were skilled fisherman who had probably been doing this work for a long time. Dropping their nets meant they would be relying on someone else instead of themselves and their own skills.
3. Limited Plans - Perhaps Peter had plans to be the best fisherman around the Sea of Galilee. Perhaps he and Andrew were wanting to remodel their homes, or use their proceeds to go on vacation with their families. Whatever their short-term goals looked like, dropping their nets meant letting go of their limited plans to be a part of God’s larger plan.

What would it look like if God called you to drop your nets? How do you think you would respond?

Posted 08.04.2008

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