Lesson 155. In the Nets of Love and Friendship

I ask God for love and friendliness, and He gives them to me, and along with them He sends trials. Then, after these trials and victories, He grants revelations about what I have experienced, what I have learned, and what I have understood. And I draw a conclusion.

Jesus promised that He would make us fishers of men. And I see the fulfilment of this promise in my life.

He taught me to catch you in my nets of love and make you my friends, never releasing you from this trap.

What is interesting is that I do not bind anyone to myself or violate anyone’s will by forcing them to be friends with me. I simply love, think about the happiness of these people, help according to my strength and abilities, rejoice in them, pray for them, and am very happy that I have them. I simply set the nets and wait for another friend to be caught in them. But I leave them the opportunity to go. And for some reason, they do not want to run away and even respond in kind.

To be a fisher of men is a special gift from God, and it is available to everyone who thirsts for love and friendship.

The truth about God is revealed in the Word of God and also in our attitude toward people. If they see Jesus in you, then through you He will surely show them the beauty of His Love. Then He will work miracles of friendship and love for their good.

But not everyone wants this, and not everyone is able to do it.

There are fishers who go out to catch people with dynamite, clubs, spears, and false teachings. They stun, maim, and kill, and then boast about their trophies. But when healing takes place, the ‘trophies’ run away forever, and it becomes very difficult to catch them.

Love and friendship are a very delicate yet strong net. It catches its prey so skilfully that the person who is caught finds happiness and experiences revival and transformation, and no longer wants to go anywhere. He sees that he has come under the influence of your love; he feels good and at peace in it. This person may be on the other side of the Earth, yet still remain in your net and have no plans to leave.

But Jesus has the most beautiful and strongest net, and all who have been caught in it are in one common space, come to know one another, draw closer, and become dear and close to one another.

It is said of Jesus’ disciples that they left their nets and followed Him. That is, He caught them in His own—the best net—from which they did not want to leave.

How wonderful it is to see the fruits of your fishing, to communicate with them, to rejoice in them, and to cherish them tenderly in your heart!

Considering the fact that every loving person may find himself in a situation where he and what is in his heart are treated with complete misunderstanding, it is necessary always to remember the experiences of Jesus. Studying the life and teachings of Christ helps greatly in making right decisions in difficult situations. It gives a correct understanding of what is happening in my life and why it is happening.

For example, having love for my neighbours in my heart, I can share with you, from my perspective, what I hear, see, and experience.

I love—this is my decision, this is my position, this is my answer to many difficult questions that are sometimes very hard to answer, this is the direction of my life and my daily choice to follow this principle. And all of this takes place in my mind. Somewhere there, in the depths of the heart, the mind makes this decision and declares it in morning prayer, asking for support from above. The will agrees with this choice and begins to act in the given direction; the intellect brings all thoughts together so that I may live, think, and develop within these very boundaries. And in its essence, this is something very personal between God and me. But the decision has been made, and I take a step in this direction. Yet I am not Love; I am learning it, and especially at the beginning of the journey, I see how many mistakes take place in my life and how many difficult situations I encounter along the way. But I seek a solution within the boundaries of love, and I find it. In addition, I try to write down some of my observations and share them, desiring that if someone steps onto this path and encounters what I have encountered, it will be easier for him to endure the trial, see its essence, and find the best solution.

And I do not try to show my love to someone or prove it to someone. There is no truth in that. Love exists, and it knows, sees, and senses its time to act and overcome. And it is evident to everyone to whom God reveals it. But it is difficult for a blind person to behold the beauty of love; in his eyes it remains darkness, no matter how hard you try to present it to him. And yet, it is always better and more right to love. By doing so, you will never lose; but without love, you will never become an overcomer or receive what has been promised to the overcomers.

Love, and it shall be given you; love, and ye shall find; love, and it shall be opened unto you; love, and ye shall see more than you can imagine. For everyone who loves receives from above; everyone who loves finds; and to everyone who loves it shall be opened, and great shall be your reward in Heaven. And you shall be sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. What could be better?

I have also realised that love can be shown and seen only through deep personal interaction with a person, when it sees a problem and begins actively helping to solve it. It is as though you take this weapon out of your arsenal and begin to use it when there is a need and necessity. And it works. Love very carefully, tenderly, and delicately studies the soul of one’s neighbour, and he is offered what will be for his good. However, he himself must make the decision to open up to your love.

Some see the actions of my love and open their hearts to its influence; some remain indifferent; and some rise up against me and begin to despise me. All kinds of situations occur. Some see more than you show, some see nothing at all, and others see everything differently. But I always look to Jesus and try to understand how He evaluates the situation and how He understands it. And Christ gives His approval or instructs me how it would be better to act if something similar happens again. And I learn. God’s support on the path of love is the best encouragement. You do not always receive this from people, but God will never leave me without His evaluation of my actions. And this helps greatly.

Our world is enveloped in a net of another kind, which binds the will and the mind and makes those caught in it slaves of sin. But God’s Love tears these bonds apart and invites us to cast ourselves into its nets of love and friendship, which are stretched over the abyss of sin so that we will not fall and be dashed to death.

Into what should I fall? And with what should I catch my friends? I must decide this for myself now and live and act according to this decision.

I choose the nets of friendship and love. How joyful it is to become entangled in them forever and to have no possibility of escaping from them into this world! How pleasant it is to fall into someone’s love and experience happiness and joy in it! How wonderful it is for all of us together to spread our nets of love and become caught in them, dreaming of remaining in such a state forever.

Can you imagine the joy of Jesus when, having cast His net into the world, He draws in a rich catch that looks upon its Fisher and no longer desires to go anywhere? And Jesus takes us out of the aquarium of sin and releases us into His ocean of Love, where we can be God’s true little fish. And He does not plan to eat us, but begins to care for each one individually in a special way.

1. What new truth was revealed to you in this lesson?

2. To whom is the gift of being a fisher of men given?

3. What miracles do love and friendship work in your life?

4. What helps you make right decisions in difficult situations?

5. What is the secret of love?

6. How should one proceed when studying another person’s soul?

7. Have you been caught in the net of Jesus Christ? What is it?

8. Please read Luke 5:5–10; Matthew 7:12; Proverbs 12:12; Matthew 13:47–48; Luke 11:13; Galatians 5:16; Romans 14:12–13; and Romans 15:1–3.