Saturday October 19
When Jesus is in the Boat
Luke 5:4-11
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Now, my friend, it makes all the difference in the world when Jesus is in the boat of your life with you. There you can enjoy the satisfaction of His presence and the wonderful fulfilment and pleasure of real success in life! You will be doing that which pleases God by faith and brings glory to His name. And on top of that, you will have the opportunity to experience amazing miracles in your life! Well, that’s what happened with Peter in this passage in Luke 5.
When Jesus finishing speaking to the crowd He turned to Peter and told him to launch out into the deep and put down his nets for a catch. Peter partially obeyed by saying he would put down the net. “At Your Word! But just one, and that will be embarrassing enough when we catch nothing, and the crowd is watching.” My friend, when we obey any Word from Jesus, we can expect to experience the pleasure of “by faith pleasing God.” (Hebrews 12:5)
Peter’s one net caught so many fish that it began to break! Yes, our Lord is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Notice Peter didn’t stop and start bragging about how many fish he was catching, but he invited others to join him. Whenever we experience success in ministry or a miracle we need to learn this lesson: Don’t start thinking you deserve it and hoard it all for yourself, but selflessly give others the opportunity to join you.
One of the things that I enjoy the most about living here in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina is the privilege of meeting with a group of local pastors every Tuesday morning for prayer. These pastors come from churches of various denominations. They are not jealous of each other but work together on a multitude of ministry outreach and caring projects. They share resources and truly care for each other and the needs of their people and the community. They are willing to share success and they never come in bragging on how well their church or ministry is doing! It is a beautiful thing to be a part of!
You can’t miss Peter’s brotherly co-operation. “So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” Had they not invited their brothers to co-operate, how much would have been lost? Today, how much is still being lost in Christian work for lack of union! What hinders it? Pride and selfishness. The blessing came to Simon's boat, through faith in Christ, but Jesus did not mean it all to remain there. Others were needed as well as Peter, so he beckoned his brethren to come and help. Notice, it is the helpers that share the results. How sad it is that so many pastors do not come to help in the times of blessings but instead are jealous and critical of the other pastor’s success. It is my prayer that many other pastors in other communities will get to experience what we see here in Sneads Ferry.
We can’t close without also noticing Peter’s humiliation! “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" This should always be or response where God’s greatness and goodness are experienced. Romans 2:4 tells us that “the goodness of God leads to repentance”. God forbid that success should ever lead to pride and self-sufficiency. And yet sometimes it does on the part of Christian workers.
Has the goodness of God, as seen on the Cross, ever led you to cry "I am a sinful man?" If so, you do not need to say, like Simon, "Depart from me," when Jesus has said, "Come unto Me." If you are a sinful man, Jesus is the sinful sinner's Savior.
God bless!
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