Drop 'Em
"They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." --Matthew 4:21-22
Recently, I was relating to Jimmy how shallow my faith seems compared to the first disciples. Peter was a fisherman. James and John also made a living casting their nets. But this then-anonymous Nazarene walks up and kindly suggests that they leave it all behind (v. 19). And they do. No arguments, no hesitation -- immediate surrender to a higher cause, forsaking their livelihood and everything they'd ever known, simply because they were asked to. Ponder that for a moment. Better yet, put yourself in their shoes. Would you be able to set down your Macbook if He called you? What about your tool belt? Your barbell?
Now, it's easy to think of this story of the first disciples as faith-testing hyperbole -- a tale meant to symbolize our surrender to Christ. But folks, if you had the benefit of living in the context of that verse, you'd go back to the shore to see a pile of abandoned nets and a ship anchored in the shallows with no captain. These were things of great value to men who had very little and they left them behind without batting an eyelash.
We all have things that we place (or misplace) great value on, both tangible and intangible -- things of this earth to which we electively and misguidedly assign value -- material things, workout schedules, turbulent relationships and more. But how much better off would we be if we simply dropped them all and just followed Him.
As you get set to cast your nets overboard today, take pause, look to the shore and just listen. This is a call you don't want to miss and those nets, however important you think they are to the day's haul, won't travel well with you on this journey. All you have to do is drop 'em.
–-Eric Velazquez
For Discussion: There may just be things that we need to abandon to flourish in the splendor of His grace, including the mirror. But stepping away from our reflection isn't the same as stepping away from our health. As Jimmy says, "It's not about the mirror, but about the One we're trying to mirror." It's worth noting that it wasn't the last time these first disciples fished -- they just found new nets and new waters to fish. What (or whom) can you haul in with your commitment to health today?
BRING PRAYFIT TO YOUR TOWN
This weekend, Jimmy is addressing parishioners in Oregon. Could your church be next? More and more pastors, elders and churchgoers are inquiring about how to bring PrayFit's message -- one of stewardship, faith, humility and endurance -- to their next Sunday service. They want their congregations to be as healthy as they can be to take care of the work that needs doing in their communities and on missions abroad. Help us make your church next. Reach out to us at [email protected] for more details. As always, for churches and other non-profit events there is never a speaking fee. Talk to your pastors and leaders. Reach out to us and let's see health as a means of praise, together. For a sample of what you can expect, click play below.
