Monday, September 13

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in to the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:14-20


I am not a fisherman. I didn’t grow up fishing – and the only time I remember going fishing with my Dad it was on vacation and he took us deep sea fishing for some reason and we all got sea-sick. But as my own boys were growing up – I wanted to be a good Dad so I bought a small fishing pole for one of my boys and we went to some local ponds a few times. On these occasions, my greatest fear is that we would actually catch something – because I didn’t want to actually have to touch the fish to get it off the hook. So I always took these big, thick gardening gloves and some needle-nosed pliers with me – just in case!

Just this past August my son Jesse asked me to go with him on his D-Group fishing trip (D-Groups are High School Discipleship Groups at FBCG), and their leader, Keith Duncan. Again, wanting to be a good Dad and wanting to spend that time with my son, I agreed to go. We traveled some 10 hours north, to the boundary waters of Canada, and camped and fished for three days. Spending three days coated with mosquito repellent, inhaling smoke from the campfire and trying to avoid touching worms, leeches and the fish we caught was WAY out of my comfort zone- but we had a blast!

Everyone has a comfort zone. That is, we all have a place where we feel safe and secure; where life is familiar and predictable. Unlike me, Simon (Peter) and his younger brother Andrew, found their comfort zone in a fishing boat. Fishing was what they did. “Fishermen” was who they were. And toiling away with their nets on the Sea of Galilee was where they were most comfortable. Then along came Jesus!

We’ll explore the change Jesus brings to our lives as we move through the week – but let’s just begin with the question: “Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to your faith?”

It seems to me that as we read through the New Testament stories of Jesus, he never encounters people only to leave them the way they were. Jesus always brings change. That change often brings challenge and even discomfort – but it is always good.

This week we began a series entitled “Comfort Zone: Moving beyond ordinary faith.” Week by week we are going to see how Jesus calls us to get out of the boat of our own “faith comfort zones” and to follow him into a life of obedience, challenge, growth and impact. Are you ready? Are you willing to allow Jesus to confront you, challenge you, and change you?

Close today by asking Jesus to both meet you in your comfort zone – and to call you out of it if he so desires!

Brian Coffey