18 And Jesus, walking by the sea
of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother,
casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And
he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And
they straightway left their nets, and followed him. –Matthew
4:18-20 (KJV)
Growing up in the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio
meant you often overheard what went on in the neighborhood whether you
wanted to or not. A family I never actually knew occupied the
house behind ours, and they had a son named Butch. The reason
I remember his name is the method employed by his father for summoning
Butch home for supper. Around 5:00 PM the father would open the
back door of the house and call, “Butch, time for supper.”
If Butch did not make a quick appearance, the father would call again,
louder this time. “Butch, I said time for supper!” Invariably,
the young man would fail to arrive at which point the father’s voice
would rise to a dangerous crescendo. “Time for supper, Butch!
I’ll brain you Butchy!”
I never knew whether the threat was carried
out, I hope it was not, but this daily ritual gave my brother and me
many a laugh. All these years later my brother Tom will call out,
for no apparent reason, “I’ll brain you Butchy!”
Think for a moment about the call of God
in our lives. When Jesus went about calling disciples, He extended
an invitation for them to follow Him. Following Jesus meant a
step of faith, leaving a comfort zone, and trusting God completely.
The same principles apply to us today. Perhaps you have been struggling
with finding your place in the world. Remember that Christ has
extended a call to follow Him. For Peter and Andrew this meant
leaving their profession of fishermen. Jesus told them that from
then on they would be casting out the net of the gospel and catching
souls for God’s kingdom. They took the first step of faith in
following Christ and their lives were forever changed.
Responding to God’s call is the best way
for finding our place in life. The Lord may not be calling you
to leave your profession, yet He is calling you to be His disciple.
Christ invites us to step out on faith and be the best we can possibly
be wherever He has placed us. Responding to the call means shining
Jesus’ light to a dark and lonely world that needs to hear there is
hope. Christ’s call energizes us out of an otherwise mundane
existence to a life of vibrant faith and spiritual victory.
Stop surviving life and start living it to
the fullest. The Lord has a plan for a brighter day that comes
when we walk with Christ. Go forward in faith.
God bless you today.
