BBD 12.09.03 Break Out!
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
(Over 9,800 subscribers in 75 countries)
12.09.03
Break Out!
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called
Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were
fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of
men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from
there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He
called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and
followed Him. - Matthew 4:18-22.
What do you think of when you hear the words “break out?” Some might think
of a “break out” sports star that has an unusually great game or games. Some
might think of a person who “breaks out” of jail or prison by escaping. Some
may think of a “break out” financial move that gives someone a financial
windfall. It could be that one of those “break outs” will change a person’s
life for good - perhaps for good or possibly for bad.
There is one thing, however, that is guaranteed to change your life for the
good. That one thing is a spiritual “break out.” That day long ago when
Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee He called out to some of
the fishermen there and it changed their lives forever. Peter, Andrew, James
and John would never be the same after their encounter with the Lord. Those
four men left their lifelong careers that they thought they would always
pursue and in a moment of time became not fishers of fish but instead
“fishers of men.”
Peter, Andrew, James and John are not the only ones to experience a
spiritual “break out.” We know seven other men sincerely responded to the
Lord’s call in becoming His disciples, as have countless others in the
centuries to follow. Think of the woman at the well (John 4) who was just
having a normal day until she had a conversation with the Master of the
Universe and was forced to think outside of the box of her little world.
Once she had experienced the “break out”, she cared little what anyone might
have thought of her as she told everyone about the Lord. The man from Gadara
(Mark 5) released from demonic oppression “broke out” of his enslavement to
freedom in the Lord’s service.
What did most of these people have in common? They were willing to listen to
what the Lord had to say and they responded. Only the woman at the well even
attempted to engage in a verbal exchange of spiritual ideas. When they
encountered the Truth, they recognized that this One was radically
different. The result was a “break out” from everything they had known in
the past. Their lives and their worlds were enlarged beyond their wildest
dreams and imaginations.
Would you like to experience a spiritual “break out?” You can “break out” if
your heart is willing to respond when you hear the Lord’s Voice calling. If
God were to speak to your heart right now calling you into a larger world
and experience than you have ever known before - would you be ready to
respond? Would you leave your “nets” and go without looking back? Or, would
you argue, debate, and procrastinate until it was too late. Make no mistake.
If you have a willing and listening heart, someday Jesus will be walking
your way and you too will “break out” spiritually.
Copyright © 2003. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited.
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