Short Thought continued.....
Casting your Net
‘Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.
It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus),
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
“I’m going out to fish,“ Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore,
but the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.’
He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’
(John 21:1-6 NIV)
The disciples have spent three life changing years following and living with Jesus.
They have lost their friend, their Lord.
In grief, bewilderment and disillusionment they have returned to something
which they know to be familiar; they have found their boats,
taken to the waters and returned to being fishermen.
Normalising, comforting, safe.
Imagine the disciples in their boat bobbing up and down on the waves
in the early morning sunrise, they are downcast and weary.
They hear a voice from a man on the beach who tells them
to throw their net in a different direction, to the right side of the boat.
It is as though the disciples don’t look up or beyond the place that they are in
to question who is calling out to them. They just follow the instruction.
As they do the unexpected happens, massive numbers of fish swim into the net.
They then look to see who is standing on the shore and
they recognise their friend and Lord, Jesus.
Obeying Jesus' instructions yielded far more fish than the disciples
could have imagined or hoped for: it was a miraculous catch.
When sold it provided income which released the disciples
to go and do what Jesus was calling them to - to build His church.
Jesus is ‘standing on the shore’ calling out to you.
Perhaps you are turning to familiar patterns and ways of life which are
normalising, comforting and safe.
Yet …
Has Jesus given you instructions that you are following
yet you have not recognised that it is Him?
Is He asking you to cast your ‘net’ in a different direction?
When you cast your ‘net’ in the direction in which Jesus is instructing,
He is able to bring the fish into it.
He can do the unexpected and the miraculous which will provide what is needed
for you to be released to go and do what He is calling you to.
‘He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’
When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”’
(John 21:6-7 NIV)
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