I
have had a lot of time on my hands while working from home these past couple of
months. There has been a huge/tremendous
shift from what was, to what is as of today.
I have discovered that I do not
seem to fit into the mold of fear.
Everyone seems afraid these days.
Fear and uncertainty are what I was witnessing on the news and in
commercials, until I chose to stop watching the news and having the television
on. Fear and uncertainty among family
and friends.
Mark
1 has been a difficult chapter for me to write on because Mark is very quick to
lead us through the life of Jesus. But that
is what life is mostly about – making decisions in an instant. Hang with me for a bit here….
16 As
Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew
casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come,
follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out
to fish for people.” 18 At once
they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a
little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat,
preparing their nets. 20 Without
delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the
hired men and followed him.
The
eagerness of these men to drop everything and follow Jesus is what I am
focusing on here. There is no skepticism. There is no delay.
We
assume that these men were great men of faith from the first time they met
Jesus. But just like us, they had to
grow in their faith. It took time for
Jesus’ call and message to get through to His disciples. But… they followed Him. Are you struggling with who to listen to?
I
will share with you that during these past couple of months I have been
discouraged, but the one thing that has kept my focus was remembering Jesus and
to not take my eyes off Him. It has been
a storm for sure for me and I have not known if I would be on a hill or in a
valley each day I woke up. I remember sitting on the couch watching Palm
Sunday service on television and crying when we say, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” It was a pivotal point for me. It became more and more difficult to follow
the narrative from the masses. I have
had numerous discussions with close friends and godly people. I have prayed countless hours and focused on
specific verses.
I
landed here at Mark 1 with a sense of urgency to decide – follow Jesus or
not! His love or …… my fear, my need to know the answer, my desire
to plan, my children’s future, my future – fill in the blank.
Ladies,
this is a personal relationship as they have always told us. Jesus has the authority over my life, and I
trust Him. Even demons know who He
is! And if I am willing, He will always
cleanse me of my sin. (Mark 1:40-41) He will teach us to fish for men.
Something
happened during these past couple of months; people have been popping up in my
life and are supporting me. Much like
fishing, or at least how I fish, when I cast my pole; I never know if it will
be a large fish or a small one. At times
it is just a weed. But these people are not at all who I expected, because the
people I expected, have turned away. There
are people who will keep coming to hear about Jesus (v. 45) as a result of your
testimony. Expect in Jesus alone and He will lead you
through these days.
Are
you ready to go where Jesus leads?
Blessings,
Lisa