Photo by Fadi-X on Unsplash
I have been prompted by the Lord (God the Holy Spirit) to lean into returning to my first love.
In this final installment of this series, I am talking about a story of Jesus in Matthew 1. Follow along as I relate it to returning to my first love.
“Or, God’s Kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish.
When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away.
That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”
Jesus asked, “Are you starting to get a handle on all this?” They answered, “Yes.”
He said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”
God’s Kingdom is like a fishing net.
I grew up on the water, having relatives who threw cast nets to catch fish. My mom’s dad was a commercial fisherman in his early years.
A net is meant to catch fish, and there is a needed skill to do it properly.
There is a churning of the water when fish are present near the surface. The untrained eye can easily miss it.
God’s Kingdom is meant to catch men (male/female, the human race), and there is a needed skill to do it properly.
This is important because artificial efforts will be hit or miss in catching lost humanity, but the Kingdom of God never misses.
The Kingdom of God always pays attention to water, often used as an analogy for humanity.
When the net is cast, it captures all kinds of fish.
This, too, is important because fish do not want to be captured, but in Kingdom business, it is necessary to bring a harvest of souls.
Notice what happens
The good fish are placed in a basket, and the bad fish are thrown away.
What determines a good or bad fish?
A fish is determined good or bad because it is good or not good to eat.
A good fish (in the human sense) is one whose heart is willing to be changed by God.
A bad fish (in the same sense) is one whose heart is closed off to God and unwilling to let him in.
Life has a way of distracting humanity, tainting a good heart.
In this sense, returning to my first love means remembering when God captured me. He looked at me and determined my heart was open to him.
The call of God, the Holy Spirit, has gone out to everyone “captured” by the Kingdom of God, but tainted by the many bad things of the world.
It means allowing my mind to remember that first embrace of God, welcoming me into his Kingdom.
It means examining my heart to discover where I walked away, and determining to walk back.
It means making a change.
Only then can you be like the shop owner who can place their hands on any item in the store (heart).
Returning to my first love is highlighted in this story when Jesus says,
“That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage.”
There is a point in time (history) when the end will come, and the good will be drawn into the presence of God, while the bad (according to the words of the Bible) will be culled and thrown into the garbage.
Jesus said no one will enter the Kingdom of God, because their hearts are closed and unwilling to allow him access.
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”
Matthew 7:21 New Living Translation
This is a very difficult lesson, but one that must be carefully understood.
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
John 10:9 New International Version
In other words, only those with a heart willing to be changed will walk through the gate called Jesus.
My challenge in 2026 is to:
- Lean into Jesus
- Let go of my self-determination
- Learn to trust in my God
This was easier when I first believed because I was naïve about a lot of things.
It is more difficult the longer I live in this world, because of the growing lawlessness I face daily.
It is a challenge, but one I have committed to embracing.
The cry of the Spirit has gone out.
Humanity has entered a time of historical proportions, and being close to God will mean the difference between finding spiritual freedom and deepening spiritual bondage.