Tuesday October 15
Little Is Much When God Is In It
Luke 5:1-3
1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.
3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
First, let me thank you for your prayers for our grandson Luke yesterday. Amazingly, because of your prayers Luke recovered quickly from the surgery and was able to go home by the evening! Again, we are reminded that our God is a God of miracles and prayer make a difference! Thank you so much!
Jesus has been healing people, casting out demons, and preaching and teaching in the synagogues. The people were eager to hear Him and now back at the north end of the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, the crowd had grown so large it was described as a multitude, and they were so pressing upon Jesus that His back was up against the water, and He couldn’t back up anymore. Yesterday we talked about how God wanted to use Peter and his boat to continue His message to the people.
It is possible that at least seven of the disciples were fishermen (John 21:1-3). Consider the fact that fishermen generally have the qualities that make for success in serving the Lord. It takes courage and daring, patience and determination to work on the seas; and it also takes a great deal of faith. Fishermen must be willing to work together (they used nets, not hooks) and help one another. They must develop the skills necessary to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
If I had fished all night and caught nothing, I would probably be selling my nets, not washing them to get ready to go out again! But true fishermen don't quit. Peter kept on working while Jesus used his ship as a platform from which to address the huge crowd on the shore. In the Scriptures it is amazing how God chose to use the most unlikely people to accomplish His purposes.
Remember in Judges 6:12-16, how the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon. Gideon was a farmer who was threshing his wheat in a winepress for fear of the Midianites. The Angel appeared and said to him, “God is with you, you mighty man of valor”. I’m sure Gideon must have turned around to see who the Angel was speaking to. Gideon replies that he is from the least of the tribes and he is the least in his father’s house (v. 15). Gideon thought that he was a nobody, but God saw him as a mighty man of valor. God sees you different than you might see yourself too, and He wants to use you for a great work for His kingdom.
Peter might have thought that he didn’t have much. He was just a fisherman without an education. But he had a little boat and God saw Him as someone He could use to birth His church and change the world. Just a little boat, but Jesus wanted to use it for His kingdom purposes. Remember when God appeared to Moses in the wilderness, He asked him what was in his hand. Moses replied, “Just a little rod I use to get around with and to take care of the sheep”. But God told him to throw it down and then pick it up again.
Basically, God was saying, “Give it to Me”. When Moses picked the rod up, that rod became the Rod of God that would part the Red Sea and set the nation of Israel free. That Rod would strike the Rock and cause water to quench the thirst of several million Israelites in the wilderness.
Jesus said to Peter, “Give Me your boat and put it out a little”. Just a little boat and just a little way, but when Jesus got in the boat, it became much! God was in it!!!!! Yes, my friend, your little can become much when you give yourself and your possession to the Lord!
Will you take that “little first step” today and yield your life and possessions to the Lord. You will be amazed how He might choose to use you and what you have for His kingdom purposes!
God bless!
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