In the Midst of Regular Work

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"It was their regular work." (Matthew 4:18, The Message).

Here we have two guys minding their own business, when suddenly, and unexpectedly they are interrupted by a preacher. We could finish the story fifty different ways, but none would be as astounding as what actually happened after this brief encounter.

For the two guys were Peter and Andrew; and the preacher passing by was Jesus.

"Follow Me," He said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

And get this -- "they dropped their nets immediately and followed Him."

Something is going on here which does not appear to the naked eye. Two guys quietly going about their regular work, day after day, net by net, catching fish after fish -- over and over and over again. They were no doubt considered successful by their competitors; their business was doing well. They've got it made; not a care in the world.

At least that's the surface reading. But Jesus read their hearts. He looked past the obvious and saw the actual. There was a longing in their labor for something more, something better, something meaningful. And Jesus tapped into that desire and opened the door to their future; and that's why they responded so immediately to His invitation.

Might He be doing the same for you today?

We were made for something more than regular work. Our lives are not meant to be relegated to the usual, the ordinary, and the average. This is why these things disturb us so when they seem to become the predicable course for our lives -- our spirit stirs for higher things.

And it is just there, in the midst of regular work, you can hear Jesus calling you to something truly significant and satisfying, something worth spending your life pursuing.

"Follow Me," He says, "and I will transform your labor into a calling -- filled with extraordinary promise and great purpose."
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