“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind…” ~ Matthew 13:47
REFERENCE:
Jesus used this parable to teach that the gospel net will always bring different people into the church, some with a heart for God, and others, just there to serve their purpose. The world is the sea in which the net is cast, and when the fisherman (preacher) draws it back into the boat, it drags in the good and the bad. Jesus taught that at the end of all things, God, through His angels, will separate the good from the bad and will eventually cast the bad ones away.
This parable brings a personal application to the people of the Kingdom. We are like this dragnet, and as we journey on earth, we drag in all kinds of experiences, people, philosophies, and opinions. The human brain, like a sponge, unconsciously absorbs so much. As we watch movies, listen to the news or music, interact with people, hear people’s stories, go to the hair salon, observe the marriages of our parents and friends, read books, or engage on social media, we drag in the good and the bad. We, therefore, are a sum of all the things we have dragged into our lives; we can’t help it since we are often not in control of what happens around us. Like the dragnet, because of what we dragged in, many of us are no longer who we were several years ago; we have lost the innocence of our youth, pulled away from God, and lost the capacity for love or empathy. Can you pause now and think of the things you have dragged in? Check your phone contact, friends, the places you hang out, and your posts on social media – see if they represent who you are in Christ. Have you dragged in hate, lukewarmness, unforgiveness, hard-heartedness, fear, worry, or anger? Or is it in love, good friends, a good spouse, good judgment, and anointing that your dragnet brought in? Take a close look at your dragnet.
Kingdom-minded people must make it a habit to settle down to look at their dragnet and see what it has dragged into their lives. It should be a time of honest self-appraisal, a time to ‘detox,’ to gather the good into a vessel and to cast the bad away. Do away with negative friendships, opinions, experiences, relationships, or any harmful habit; cast them away from you. Open a new page. If you don’t purge a computer system now and then, it becomes slow and bogged down. The same is true for you; if you don’t sort out the good from the bad in your dragnet, you will be slowed down needlessly on your journey, you will carry burdens you shouldn’t, bound by fear and anxiety, finding it difficult to trust God or live the abundant life He has prepared for you. Let go of the bad and run your race with ease!
PHOTO QUOTE:
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Psalm 45:7, Proverbs 22:24-25 & Zechariah 3:1-5
REFLECTION:
Take time out today and assess your dragnet (your heart, mind, speech, philosophies, and doctrine); do they represent Christ and His will? Have you dragged in bitterness, unforgiveness, sweet-sounding motivational words which have no biblical backing, compromise, and spiritual coldness along the journey of life? Has life boxed and beaten you to a place where you do not recognize yourself anymore? Look to God; He will help you to detox; He will open a new page for you, and you will run your race with ease.
I purge my system of anything I have dragged in that causes fear, self-doubt or anxiety. I retain that which is good and honorable, and I fix my gaze on God alone. So, help me God!
There is a need for a regular appraisal and assessment in my life, to enable me seperate the trash from the good in order for me to run my race with ease, so help me God! 🙏🏾
Yes, sis. So true.
I unrobe myself from every defiled garment, every habit or mindset picked by the wayside; I take on the new garment and head turban, the old is purged, and the new has come. I am covered with the glory and beauty of my God; I begin to do only the things that glorify, please and praise my Father in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Wow! Amen, and amen. A great prayer.
Dear Lord, through the searchlight of your Word, Holy Spirit help me identify whatever it is that hinders me form showing forth my light. I will continually walk in your light that I may not stumble.
Hmm, the dragnet of life can be so heavy if not sorted out as the fisherman would sort the edible and non-edible fish from the net.
Help me Lord to fling out the toxic catch from my dragnet on my onward journey of life here on earth.! 🙏