March 6 - Casting Nets

Read: Luke 5:1-11

And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." (Luke 5:5 ESV)

Everything we know about Simon Peter suggests that he was a successful fisherman. He made a career out of it. He had multiple boats and even several partners. When Jesus climbed into his boat one day he had already fished unsuccessfully for the entire night. So, why then did he obey the advice of a carpenter and cast his nets?

Sometimes the person with the most talent, best intentions, or superior intellect can miss the mark. There is always grace in those situations. There is always opportunity for improvement. There is always a chance to let Jesus show you how that you might do it better.

Peter had already seen Jesus at work. He was no stranger to Capernaum. He had even healed Peter's mother-in-law at an earlier date. No, Simon Peter knew who Jesus was, and what he was about. He didn't completely grasp the full implications of it all, but he believed. He believed in Jesus. So when Jesus, a trained carpenter and traveling preacher, asked him to cast his nets at the end of a long and fruitless night, it wasn't a man Peter was listening to. It was faith.

Unfortunately, we often wait until we have weathered a fruitless night before casting our net with Jesus. When all along we could have started with him. All along we could have followed him into a life of fruitfulness. Casting nets is work; and pulling in full nets is even harder work. Still Jesus compels us to come and throw out our nets. I for one am anxious to see the catch.

March 5 - Leave Everything

Read: Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27-32

And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. (Luke 5:28 ESV)

Matthew the tax collector (also called Levi) was probably wealthy compared to the people around him. He was essentially a government sponsored swindler. An employee of the Roman's, it was Matthew's job to get the needed taxes from his countrymen. Anything collected above the needed amount was kept as payment. It was a system that set Matthew up as an apparent traitor to his fellow Jews. That all changed for Matthew the day Jesus walked into his life.

Matthew left everything. The tax booth, the pay check, his assignment by the Roman conquerors. He left it all and started following a homeless traveling preacher. Why? Because Matthew recognized that there was nothing he had that was better than anything Jesus was offering. To him that was worth leaving everything.

How does the story translate to us today? Are you and I willing to leave behind everything? What would that even look like? Those are pretty tough questions to consider. They are made even tougher if you are someone sitting high atop the ladder of financial success. Still, Matthew did it. So can we. He even went on to write the Gospel that bears his name.

Our pursuits and passions are often varied and frivolous. Sometimes our careers can be as well. A life lived in full pursuit of Jesus is never frivolous. It is measured. It is costly. It is worth leaving everything.