Follow Christ and Leave Your Nets Behind

In Matthew 4:18-22, we read about when Jesus Christ called a few of His disciples, saying to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Without hesitating, "they straightway left their nets, and followed him." When the Lord calls us to do something, do we immediately leave our "nets" and follow Him? Or, do we sometimes hesitate or even make excuses for why we don't need to be obedient?

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin stated, "we might define a net as anything that entices or prevents us from following the call of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. Nets in this context can be our work, our hobbies, our pleasures, and, above all else, our temptations and sins. In short, a net can be anything that pulls us away from our relationship with our Heavenly Father or from His restored Church."

What are the "nets" that may be keeping you from following Him? 

Elder Wirthlin continued:

“Our lives are so easily filled with appointments, meetings, and tasks. It is so easy to get caught in a multitude of nets that sometimes even a suggestion of breaking free of them can be threatening and even frightening to us.

Sometimes we feel that the busier we are, the more important we are—as though our busyness defines our worth. Brothers and sisters, we can spend a lifetime whirling about at a feverish pace, checking off list after list of things that in the end really don’t matter.

That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls on those things of eternal significance—that is essential.”

What can you do to free yourself from the “nets” that prevent you from following our Savior?

I know that if we “leave our nets” and follow the Savior, then we’ll be blessed with peace and the Holy Ghost. We can decide now to follow Him, whatever it takes. He will provide a way for us to be obedient to Him, if we act in faith by starting with the little acts of faith, such as praying daily and studying the scriptures.