Mark 1:18
“At once they left their nets and followed him.”
I have this friend who goes by the name of Toni. Toni is one of the most fun people I’ve ever met in my life. I don’t get to see her that often and I don’t get to spend vast amounts of time with her when I do see her. But Toni is one of those people who will call and I’ll immediately drop what I’m doing to pick up the phone.
If she calls and asks to grab a coffee, I make the time for it. If she texts and says she’s in town, I cancel other plans to make sure I get to get just a little bit of time with her. She’s just THAT awesome.
The way that I view Toni, is similar I think to the way the disciples were in Mark chapter 1, when Jesus calls out to them to folhim.
Take a read:
Mark 1:16-20
“Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed. A dozen yards or so down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John, Zebedee’s sons. They were in the boat, mending their fishnets. Right off, he made the same offer. Immediately, they left their father Zebedee, the boat, and the hired hands, and followed.”
Notice they didn’t say, “Hey, we’ll just catch you the next time you come through town,” or, “Hey, we’ll follow you and listen to what you have to say, but don’t ask us to do anything.” In fact, what the men did was drop what they were doing and followed Him whole-heartedly. They were taught by Him and then put His teaching into practice by fishing for people.
Now, they didn’t always get it right, nor did they always fully understand what Jesus was asking them to do. In fact, early on, they got it wrong more than they got it right. However, they were on a journey of following Jesus, and once they received the Holy Spirit, they grew tremendously. They went “all in” with their faith, and God turned the world upside down through these ordinary men who decided to follow an extraordinary Jesus!
Before being used to reach people with the message of Jesus, their first step was to “drop their nets.” They had to drop their past, drop their comforts, and drop anything that would distract them from the primary call on their lives—to know Jesus and to make Him known. What net do you need to drop today? Do it, drop it.