Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) 1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
Are you doing with your life what God has called you to do? It can be disturbing, so disruptive to our life. Each person is called in a unique way, such as in the incident near the Sea of Galilee. Simon and his friends had been out fishing all night without much luck and Jesus asked Simon if He could use the front of Simon’s boat as a kind of speaker’s platform. Simon was glad to help, it was his nature to want to help. But then Jesus told Simon to push out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch. Simon responded that they had worked hard all night and not caught anything. But, because you say so I will let down the nets. It was no sooner said than done and a huge haul of fish filled the nets past their capacity. Peter was caught by the catch, but then made a strange remark. Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!
How do we describe that response? At that time Simon Peter’s reaction was much like Moses who asked who am I to do this thing you ask of me, or like Isaiah’s response, woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips. Depart from me. Go away from me. But Jesus did not depart. Rather, He told Simon He would show him how to catch people. How many of us have heard God speak that word to us? I am going to make your life fruitful and worthwhile. I will make you. I will make something of your life. I will make something worthwhile and fruitful.
We live in a time of blossoming spiritualities that look kindly upon Jesus as a good teacher, but not as a Savior who died for us and not as a Lord who asks for our complete trust and obedience. I will make your life fruitful and worthwhile by giving you the responsibility, the power and the wisdom to bring people to me. I will make you become the kind of person that attracts people to me. I will make you, beyond the level of reason. There is the unexplained experience that it is important to bring people to Jesus.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope February 4, 2001
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell
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