Daily Devotions

June 30

"As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish.” They immediately left their nets and followed him. As Jesus went on, he saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee preparing their nets to go fishing. He called them, and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Jesus."

- Matthew 4:18-22 (GW)

June is a great month for fishing but the kind of fishing Matthew describes was not our relaxing, serene, line-fishing. It was a grueling vocation using circular nets with heavy weights around their perimeter. Fishing in Galilee was labor intensive and involved long hours, and often little results. Profit margins were thin because of heavy Roman taxes. Equipment used in fishing businesses included expensive specialized boats and nets. For Peter, Andrew, James, and John to immediately leave their nets and follow Jesus as disciples is a shocking statement in today's scripture. The decision of these struggling fishermen to give up all they owned was one that cost them dearly financially and personally. Yet they didn't make excuses about why it was impossible or get emotionally entangled in the financial values of their nets and what could happen to their ability to ever earn a living again. When they "followed Jesus" it was not only a courageous physical action, but a spiritual/emotional commitment to follow him as their guiding priority in life.

When Jesus told Peter and Andrew to leave their fishing business and begin fishing "for people" by helping others find God, he was calling them away from a productive trade to be productive spiritually. We are all called to fish for souls. If we share the Good News of Jesus, we will be able to draw those around us to Christ like fishermen who pull fish into our boats with spiritual nets. James, John, Peter, and Andrew, were the first disciples Jesus called and motivated to immediately leave their old life behind for greater opportunities ahead. They didn't make excuses about why it wasn't possible. Are we still able to leave our nets of fear, insecurity, and indecision behind to follow Jesus today? Even if difficult, it is still more than worth it! Your rewards will be infinite and eternal.

Prayer:

Jesus,

Grant me the courage to follow you always.

Amen.

Meditation For The Day:

God's fishing nets are priceless.

Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Summer Renewal Paperback – May 23, 2017

by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson

Used with permission of the family of the late Rev. Dr. Mary B. Johnson.

Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson, D.Min., (1942-2018)

Mary was Ordained in 1975.
She served both as a Parish Pastor and in multiple Specialized Ministry Settings.

She worked on the Clinical Staff of New England Memorial Hospital and Middleton Pastoral
Counseling Center in Massachusetts and was a Director of Green Pastures Counseling Centers in N.H.

She was a state Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor,
Nationally Board-Certified Counselor (N.C.C.), and Nationally Certified Pastoral Counselor (AAPC)
and held certification as a Clinical Member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (A.C.P.E.).

She received a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Psychology and Clinical Studies
from Andover Newton in Newton, MA.

Dr. Johnson also founded Good News Specialized Ministries, Inc.
This unique ministry provided education and Clinical Christian Counseling to thousands of people over the decades and trained numerous Clinical Counselors and Counseling Ministers while offering weekly non-denominational worship services to the community for more than 20 years.

I had the honor and privilege of working with Pastor Arnie Johnson
when I served as the pastor for the Richmond Community United Methodist Church

in Richmond, NH from 2019 - 2022.
I personally have been deeply touched by Mary's writings.

Her family has graciously allowed me to share them with you.

- Pastor Sharon Sargent

"I always considered my ministry at Richmond as a shared ministry. Mary had the expertise that helped me function as well as I did. I received critiques on the way home after the services. I finally realized that I may have “arrived” when one day she was pleased with my performance with no critique! That took several years! So, I would love it if you would use the picture of the two of us and mention Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson as my spouse and partner in ministry, and she continued to be until the day she died, four days before the end of my appointment at Richmond." - Pastor Arnie Johnson

Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson is the author of eight other published books including:

"Activating The Power Of Pastoral Care: A Team Approach";

"Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter Renewal"(Vol.1-4);

"Flying Free: Transforming Grief and Loss into Renewal";

Following The Angel Trail: In The Steps Of Jesus";

"Love In Action: The Healing Heritage Of The Counseling Ministry Of The Church";

"Visions Of Hope: Voices Of Americana";

"Healing Streams: Journeys Of Healing".

She has also been published in the AAPC professional Journal "Journeys" and in the Keene Sentinel.