13 January 2014 - return on investment

13 January 2014 - return on investment

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.

Jesus is passing by.  He is revealing his divinity.  We recall God passing by Elijah on Mount Carmel in the Old Testament.  His presence then is surrounded by special effects.  Powerful wind, earthquake, and fire.  But his presence is not those things.  It is the still small voice.  Jesus too passes by with special effects of healing and mighty deeds.  But these are secondary to his presence and his voice.  Simon and Andrew hear his voice and the recognize who he is. It is a theophany which changes their lives forever.  But is still a process.  They second guess the choice they have made to stake everything on this vision of who Jesus is.

Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Jesus is willing to reassure Simon and Andrew and us as well.  Even though there will be periods without special effects he still wants us to trust his voice.  Even though experiences of theophany are interspersed with periods of darkness he wants our hope in him to be constant.  The LORD sometimes permits trials and dark nights.  He allows Hannah to experience barrenness.  But all trials the LORD allows are meant for our good. 

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Even in the midst of dark nights the LORD wants us to trust in his voice.  He never ceases to reassure us about the hope that lies in store, the hope that does not disappoint.  The Holy Spirit abides in our hearts even in dark times.  If anything he is even more present at such times. Provided we aren't fixated on the wind, the earthquakes, and the fire we are still able to find him.

Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus is calling us as well.  He wants us to be ready to step out from the lives we are used to so that we can be his witnesses.  Let us watch for him as he passes by in our own lives.  His presence is never incidental.  It is always meant to give us the encouragement and edification we need.  Let us be ready to respond to this generosity of his.  He does great things for us.  We can only offer him back the gift he gives us to offer.  That gift is letting him use us to bring others closer to him.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.