Friday, May 20, 2011

Hear the Call?

 

Mark 1: 17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. “

Ever notice sometimes it’s hard to find Jesus when we expect in worship service but he shows up in everyday life when we are not looking for him?

The men He spoke to here were getting ready for another back breaking, soul draining day of fishing. Fishing is fun until it becomes work. Then, Jesus shows up and says follow Him and He will make them into someone that is productive for the Kingdom. He uses an analogy related to their vocation. This is instructive for several reasons.

When we follow Jesus He meet us in our world and gives new purpose to who we are and what we do. He said He will MAKE them in to fishers of men he does not expect to make ourselves into something. He who begins a good work in us will see it through to completion. At those time He calls us out of our comfort zone, He is drawing us to be more dependent on Him. God will never call us to do or be something for Him that He will not equip us for.

These guys knew how to fish. They knew you have to prepare the nets for the catch. They knew you had to go where the fish were. They knew fishing was a team effort to drop and draw the nets alongside their small boats. They knew how to read the weather signs ahead coming storms.

When Jesus calls us to be fishers of men, how does this translate to our new task? We must be prepared to respond when we find hearts needing to hear about Jesus. We have to be ready in the people groups we associate with... family, friends, work place friends, neighbors, sports team friends, etc. we can be responsive to them spiritually without being offending or overly aggressive. The Word says to be prepared at any time to give a reason for the hope that is in you.

It is also a team effort. We re to pray for and encourage other believers to be looking for “troubled hearts and broken dreams” in the lives of others. This is a good place to introduce others to the tender mercy, grace and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.

Do you hear His call?

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