The Net Was Not Torn

UV 3337/10000 The Net Was Not Torn

So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

John 21 v 11


In our lives, sometimes we get something we desire very much but at the same time, we are not satisfied as there are holes in the net. The different aspects –physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual are inter connected. The spiritual is the invisible thread that connects all the various dimensions and aspects of our lives. But if the spiritual is not strong, true to life, deep and connected to all other aspects, our “nets” are torn and whatever we have caught so far seems to slip through the hole. The other day I heard of an entrepreneur who owned 7000 acres of coffee estate and increased it to 16000 acres and yet was not satisfied and his life ended in tragedy- in suspected suicide. He had everything life could give him in terms of material success but there was a hole in his “net” and he lost all.

When Jesus enters our hearts and lives, He enables us to experience abundance in different dimensions of life but our net will not be torn. The spiritual thread of devotion, dedication, determination, diligence and discipline affects, influences and impacts all areas of our lives. Our focus is not the blessings or the results of our efforts but on the One who so blesses us. The resurrected Jesus who had both tasted and digested death proved that He is the Overcomer. Seven of his (former disciples) who had returned to their profession of fishing had a frustrating experience all night of not being able to catch any fish. They had drawn a naught when the resurrected Jesus whom they could not recognize called out to them to cast the net on the starboard or right side. When they did so, their net was filled with fish to the point of bursting and yet the net did not tear or break. Instantly, the disciples had moved from the economy of “hamartia” or miserable failure to the economy of “hyperbole” or overachieving, the economy of abundance. In our lives, too, the Lord will show us how to change the direction in which we cast our net.

Faith in Jesus is truly a strong net that will not break or tear. It connects all the dots of our lives. Like the internet connects computers and all devices world-wide, our hearts united in faith in Jesus is connected like a net. It is a net that catches and saves souls, gives each a sense of direction as well as salvation or everlasting life. Simple trust in the word of Jesus and immediate, total obedience without hesitation changed the results the seven disciples in the boat experienced. The frustration, misery and sadness they felt was transformed instantly into exhilaration and abundance of joy. Everything we do in life is a casting of the net of faith. We do not know what the end results will be. But we do know the One Overcomer, The Eternal One who knows both our external and our internals. He will help us keep our net from being torn even as we haul in abundance in our lives. Just as Jesus asked the astonished disciples to share some of the fish, we too need to share it with the needy and the hungry.