Luke 5:1-11
"'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had...they caught such a large amount of fish that their nets began to break."
(Luke 5:5-6)
Has God ever asked you to do something that didn't seem logical?
That may have been how Simon Peter felt when Jesus told him to launch his boat. Simon was an expert fisherman. If anyone knew where the fish were or were not biting, he did. What could a carpenter tell Peter about fishing that he didn't already know?
For example, Peter knew the best chance for success was at night, when fish swam closer to the shore. The fish swam to deeper waters during the day, making it much more difficult to catch them with nets. After working all night with nothing to show for his efforts, the logical decision was to cut his losses and try again the next evening.
But Jesus told Peter to do what was contrary to his expertise. He instructed him to set his net in deep water during the day. Peter had a choice: obey in faith or trust his experience. Peter's obedience resulted in a great catch that broke every rule of fishing. Even greater was the change in his life. This fisherman became a fisher of men.
INSIGHT
WHERE IS GOD ASKING YOU TO OBEY HIM CONTRARY TO YOUR EXPERIENCE? OBEY THE LORD IN FAITH. HE'LL FILL YOUR NETS AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Isaiah 55-56
Psalm 98
Acts 21
Luke 5:1-11
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
The Calling of the First Disciples
5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] with the people 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[b] 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 catch men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 5:1 That is, Sea of Galilee
b. Luke 5:4 The Greek verb is plural.
BIG GOD ... LITTLE HEARTS
with Sally Lloyd-Jones
Loving God isn't a chore. It's what we were made to do and gives us more joy than we can imagine. It happens naturally for those who have a fresh daily encounter with Jesus. But how do we do that?
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