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Live Like That
Joe Killian • January 19, 2017
I wonder if this is the problem with Christianity? It seems to me that if we who profess to be Christians did this we could change the world. The darkness that seems to permeate our world would have no chance against the light that Jesus would bring through us. If only we did this...
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. Matthew 4:12-23
These Galilean fishermen actually walked away from their way of life. We see that Simon and Andrew dropped their nets and James and John walked away from their nets, their boat and very symbolically, their father. Stop and think about this for a moment or two. This was a stunning act of faith. Or was it reckless abandonment?
Put yourself in the brothers' shoes. Picture them walking through Galilee with Jesus. They listen to Him teach in the synagogues. They hear His proclamation of the Gospel. They witness the miraculous as Jesus cures the sick. For all we know their nets were still lying on the shore. Zebedee?!? What must he have been thinking? The brothers are only at the beginning of a journey that leads from Galilee to the cross, to Pentecost and to their own deaths. What if they knew beforehand what this decision to leave their "nets" behind meant?
In a way, you and I do know. We are told in scripture that following Jesus will not be easy. But the reality is that we can't know ahead of time what that actually means. Like the disciples, we, too, must step out in faith with reckless abandon if we are to change the world like they did.
Make no mistake; Jesus is calling us to follow Him. So what is this problem with Christianity? Is it Christians who are the problem? Could it be that we haven't truly "dropped our nets"? Are we afraid to be recklessly abandoned to Jesus?
Here's a four minute challenge. Click on the image below and listen to this song and as you reflect on the words ask yourself if you're willing to live like the disciples did:
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
