Nothin' but Net

The first disciples of Jesus', first reaction to following Jesus was to drop their net. It seems like a simple thing, but the net represented their livelihood, their past, everything they knew, their comfort zones.
What net is Jesus asking you to drop to come and follow him?
The Safety Net
Are you carrying around your safety net? The net that will catch you if you fall. The net that always has a plan B in case God's plan A doesn't work. The net that keeps you from making any decisions that would push the status quo.
I'm not sure who told any Christian that following Jesus would be safe, but they are a liar. Selling your home, quitting your job, and moving to Australia to spend your savings to go to Bible college is not safe. But, then again, who has ever done anything great inside their comfort zones? Who has ever done anything great inside the boat? Jesus called Peter out of the boat, but let's be reminded that he wasn't walking on calm water. It says he called him out among the wind and the waves. Wind and waves are not safe when you are in the boat much less outside of it.
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the book Narnia. Lucy is talking to Mr. Beaver and asks about Aslan:
"Is he a safe lion?"
Mr Beaver: "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
The Addiction Net
A lot of us are carrying this net around and don't even know it.
We hear the word addict and our minds go straight to drugs and alcohol. Yet, I would argue that most of us are addicts. Some of us are addicted to relationships. If we aren't in a relationship we feel like we aren't completely whole {:If this is you, I have a whole bunch of post you should read, girlfriend. Just hit the singleness label over there>>>>>:}.Others of us are addicted to other's approval {:I'm working on this one:}. We seek other people's approval so desperately that we actually forget to seek God's approval first and even forget what He would have us do or say in a situation to please Him because we are to worried about pleasing other people. Then there is the social media addict...I'll leave that one there.
The Fear Net
Then there is the fear and worry net Jesus is asking us some of us to drop. We are commanded not to worry in the Bible which makes worry a sin. And fear means you have displaced your faith in Christ and placed your faith in the enemy. Both of these things ensnare us, and limit our potential to fully run after Jesus and the purpose He has laid out for us.
The Past Net
This one is can get awfully tangled around our feet. We all have a past and some of your past would put other's to shame. No matter how good, bad, or indifferent your past is - we all have one. Some of us have been trying to escape and drop this net but we somehow always seem to get tangled up in it again and again.
"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." - Philippians 3:13
Some people define their lives by their past. Others even choose to justify themselves by their past saying it is the reason why they are the way they are. If you can choose to do that, cant you just as easily choose to not define and justify yourself by it? It is a choice.
Maybe in your past you weren't hurt by other people, but you were the one hurting others. You can still move past your past through the grace in Jesus. Paul wrote the above verse and he was part of the crew that was killing the first Christians. He was a murderer of Jesus' people. If he can push towards whats ahead I am pretty sure the same grace that covered Paul can cover you too.
Here's my challenge: It only takes 21 days to create a new habit. For the next 21 days make it a choice every morning to drop your net and follow Jesus.
xxxxxxx