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Matthew 13: 47-50 ‘Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
‘Have you understood all these things?’ Jesus asked.
‘Yes,’ they replied.
When my pastor asked me to preach about the kingdom of God, from one of these parables, I naturally leaned to the parable of the pearl and the parable of the treasure. Partly because I’m a girl and we all like our bling and partly because when I was a child I played a lot of treasure hunting games with my friends. So I get the treasure thing.
Fishing though.
I went fishing once.
My dad was a banker and used to go fishing to bond with his farmer clients.
You would trapse out to a farm, then out through the muddy, stinky paddocks, to find the river. Then you would stand there all day and fish.
I went once, as I said.
I used my brothers rod. His baby rod.
I don’t think I bothered to put worms on the lourer, because, yuck how gross.
On my 3rd put in I caught a fish.
A 5 pound trout.
I reeled it in and it was very exciting. I caught something.
But then reality set in. I had to kill the fish. Touch the fish. Hold the fish. Take the fish home.
Give me treasure any day.
So it was interesting that my heart leaned towards this parable about the net and about catching fish.
I know nothing about fishing. I know nothing about fishing at sea. I am allergic to fish and sea food so I don’t even eat the catch.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. Genesis 39:2-4
Joseph had a call to be a leader.
then he was sold by his brothers into slavery.
at this point most people would curl up into a foetal position and cry and give up.
not joseph.
he lives out his call, even in slavery.
he lives out his call of leadership in potiphars house, being promoted into position.
when God is with us, no matter the circumstance, we are blest.
when God is with us, no matter what is going on, we can have peace and prosper. we can have success even though circumstances may be incredibly difficult!
the best thing in life to covet is the favour of God – we should live a life that pleases Him, no matter where we are and what circumstances say.
circumstances for joseph shout deny God, suffer and be angry and depressed. that’s how the world often reacts today.
but joseph made a choice. His life was in God’s hands. He would trust God and live by His ways to please Him, no matter where.
and God rewarded Him and blest Him and raised Him up THROUGH His circumstances.
God will place you in dark places to shine for Him.
oh and did you note the phrase THAT THE LORD WAS WITH HIM…? God was with Joseph, even in slavery. this is what made Joseph stand out to his master, this was the distinguishing element. God was WITH joseph.
The immediate evaluation is not always accurate. when we begin to face misfortunes in life there are other factors that cloud our evaluation, all the racing thoughts the stress and worry, the scrambling to try and fix the situations quickly… stop, calm down, then evaluate with a clear head. Joseph went through this as well, bet his first thought when his brothers threw him in a pit, "this can’t get any worse" then ito did… sold into slavery, what else? facing execution because of his masters wife. At the beginning everything was all bad, but what was the end result? He became the second in command of Egypt. Genesis 45:5 Lifes ups and downs can definetly get confusing and cause stress. But never forget that God is with you. What could He be pruning and preparing you for? from youversion notes
choosing the right path begins with SUBMISSION, not information, not even direction. submission specially to the One who knows where each path leads, as well as where it doesn’t lead. Submission to the One who knows what’s best for you better than you know what’s best for you. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 Notice he doesn’t say “most of your ways.” he said ALL. Solomon didn’t leave any wiggle room. in all your ways means in all your dating ways, in all your marriage ways, your entertaining ways, your morality ways, your educational ways, your professional ways, your financial ways. he wasn’t just peaking of your sunday ways, your religious ways, your prayer ways. all means all. in every arena of your life, we are to acknowledge God. so what does that mean? to acknowledge god means to recognize who he is and respond accordingly. what is the proper response to God? submission. we are to recognize god’s authority over every component of our lives. we are to seek and submit to his will in every area of life. that is, in al our ways. Andy Stanley – Principal of the Path
tomorrow i’m speaking on the parable of the net (matthew 13) and also how we shouldn’t give up (galatians 6:9) – awesome encouragement today to read several things on fb about perseverance and not giving up…
never never never give up on those hard and frustrating moments of waiting of God and pressing into Him, because one day you will live in the fruits of those moments! Prayer Storm
I call as my heart grows faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than i ~ psalm 61:2
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