The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “STARTING OVER” for Thursday, 21 July 2016 with Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “STARTING OVER” for Thursday, 21 July 2016 with Scripture: Matthew 4:18 As Yeshua walked by Lake Kinneret, he saw two brothers who were fishermen — Shim‘on, known as Kefa, and his brother Andrew — throwing their net into the lake. 19 Yeshua said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men!” 20 At once they left their nets and went with him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers — Ya’akov Ben-Zavdai and Yochanan his brother — in the boat with their father Zavdai, repairing their nets; and he called them. 22 At once they left the boat and their father and went with Yeshua.
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“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”[Matthew 4:19 (NIV)]
Anytime we start over again, whether it’s a new career or a new way of life, we need to invest a great deal of time and attention if our new path is to be successful.
Jesus Christ offers us all a new start, with a special invitation to leave behind our investment in worldly cares and follow him. Jesus gave this same invitation to his first disciples, Simon and Andrew, who were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
I remember the Lord calling me in much the same way. I was beginning to realize that I could not handle my life by myself; I needed some faithful companion who would support me in both good days and bad. It was then that God called me — through my students, who invited me to their home and told me about Jesus, the companion I so dearly needed. From then on I have invested my time and attention in God’s kingdom. I am trying to share the good news of God’s love with those who need desperately to hear it.
With Christ as our companion, we can throw our nets in new directions, and with deep dedication begin or continue our special calling to fish for people by living lives of compassion and love.
The Author: Ratna Chapagain (Kathmandu, Nepal) — See p. 21.
Thought for the Day: New life in Christ means new commitment.
Prayer: Dear God, teach us to invest who we are and what we have for the good of your people everywhere. Thank you for inviting us into your kingdom. Amen.
Prayer focus: THOSE TRYING TO MAKE A NEW START

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