When you want to return to your nets

When it comes to leaving your nets I find two challenges; the first is to decide to leave your nets - I addressed that issue in Monday's blog. The second challenge is to stay true to the call when you want to return to your nets. Whenever you answer the call, there may be occasions where your run into opposition or difficulty and the net you left seems attractive. Remember Israel's dilemma at the Red Sea? The sea is before them the Egyptians are pursuing them; Exodus 14:10-12 gives the details; As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"   

It would have been better to serve Egyptians?!?! 

Egypt was a cruel taskmaster, but at this moment the children of Israel did not care, they wanted to return to their bondage rather than trust God in their trial. They wanted to return to their nets. 

Egyptian fleeing Israelites are not the only ones who want to return to their nets. We want to return to our nets when criticism becomes overwhelming or when the problems seem unsurmountable or the journey is lonely or you fill in the blank.

The apostle Paul gives us some practical advice when we want to return to our nets...

2 Corinthians 4:8-10, We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  

Paul tells us he has faced a variety of afflictions, any one of them would make him want to return to his nets, yet he ends the passage with the phrase, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. When we continue to do the work of Christ, when we continue with our call, we reveal the life of Christ in our body. In other words, our actions point to Jesus. In reality returning to our nets is not an option, the only true option we have when we want to return to our nets is to continue to point people to Jesus. In doing this we stay focused on our call and not on our afflictions.

Before Paul told us how to handle our afflictions, Jesus gave the ultimate demonstration of stying faithful to the call. 1 Peter 2:23, When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

When we place our trust in God, our nets have very little appeal to us! Thus we gladly leave the nets behind knowing the call has something far better than an empty net.