A "net loss" is a "net gain"

Matthew 4:18-20 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Peter and Andrew were called by Jesus to come and follow him. As fishermen, their nets were very important to them - their sole means to support themselves. Yet, scripture tells us that they willingly “left their nets” behind and followed Jesus. Their nets would have held them back on their new journey so there was no point in bringing them along.

We too have been called by Jesus to come and follow him. What “nets” are holding us back that we need to leave behind in order to be the follower of Christ that we are called to be? A net can be anything that inhibits or prohibits us in pursuing our walk with Christ. “Nets” come in all shapes and sizes and can be anything from a particular sin, an improper relationship or an idol.

We are going to begin a new series sin. Each week we will cover a different sin that we may allow to reside in our lives. In some cases we may not even realize that some of these are sins or we may just give them a free pass for various reasons. In either case, it is dangerous to underestimate the impact that they can have in our lives. They are “nets” in which we have become entangled and this impacts our journey with Christ.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

We won’t ever become sinless but we can “sin less.” Awareness of our sins is the first step toward sinning less. Once we are fully aware of our sin and its consequences, then we can focus on the avoidance of sin. Rooting out the sin in our lives is not a fun process but “self-examination” is part of our sanctification process and necessary for us to continue to grow in righteousness.

As believers, the Cross of Christ gets us into the Kingdom. The process of daily sanctification gets the Kingdom into us.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6