The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Net
Are you ready to have your life count for Jesus anytime, anywhere, at any cost, to do anything?
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous.” (Matthew 13:47-49)
Here Jesus provides a broader picture of the kingdom of Heaven. At the end of the age, not everyone will be admitted into His eternal kingdom. There will be a time of sorting, separating, or judging the good from the evil. He tells two other parables that expand on this principle: one about wheat and weeds (Matthew 13:24-30), the other about wise and foolish virgins waiting to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13).
The parable about the weeds reminds us we have an enemy. While God works to draw all men to Himself, the enemy corrupts and destroys those who listen to him. The story of the ten virgins demonstrates the need to be alert, ready and waiting for Christ’s return. When the bridegroom took a long time to come, the five foolish virgins ran out of oil for their lamps and had to leave to buy more. They returned too late. Shut out of the wedding banquet, their pleas could bring about no change of heart.
We can’t skip over this aspect of the kingdom simply because it makes us uncomfortable. Though God invites all to enter His kingdom, not all respond. He calls us to righteous living, to stand firm in the faith – though others around us may falter – and to always look forward to Christ’s return so that we will be ready.
Thank you Heavenly Father for calling me into Your kingdom. Give me the courage and strength I need to be faithful. Amen.
Questions: Is this part of the kingdom of God difficult to accept? Why or why not?
7 Responses to “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Net”
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Thank you for your encouraging words!
Suzanne, I hope you come back and read the comments here as I want to thank for this great series on the Kingdom of Heaven. I have the privilege of leading weekly devotions in chat (5am est) with a few international ladies and it is a highlight of my week sharing your challenging devotions with them and often it leads onto a wonderful time of praising our Lord together. Together we send our thanks to you and ask that you be encouraged to keep on writing your challenging devotionals.
Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a good harvest.
Same thing as the Kingdom of God, the day of the Lord will be a glorious one, where all tongue shall confess, and all knee shall bow at the sound of His name. We should pray, humble ourselves, ask forgiveness from all unrighteousness. So that on that day we will rule with the Lord in the heavens.
God called me into His Kingdom back in 1981. From the moment of my salvation His process of separating me from the ways of the world have been extremly painful yet worth the end results. i have to say, i haven’t always been that easy to work with and have rebelled and backslided a few times over the years due to not understanding what God was trying to accomplish. i know that each difficult issue would always have me running back into the arms of my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. This world is filthy and more and more corrupt each day….Come Lord Jesus Come…i am ready!
I am ready but not because I am good or bad, right or wrong or good or evil. I am ready because I believe that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross as payment for all of our sins and that he died there, and rose again to be with God. I believe this as God’s plan of salvation and I try to live a life to glorify God but I do fail but I AM READY. I pray that this is the choice everyone makes for salvation.
Dear Suzanne, Thank you for being bold in speaking the TRUTH about the Kingdom of Heaven and us living in holiness. More needs to be spoken about sanctification in our churches today so that people will understand that we are called to righteous living.
Yes, this part of the kingdom of God is difficult to accept. I often find myself a little too much listening to and responding to what the World has to say about an issue. This includes motivational and positive speakers. I now listen out for those who speak of righteousness. The key to it all, I have to know righteousness for myself. How do I do that, I have to study the holy and righteous word of God.