Luke 5:1-3
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around Him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 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.
It was not by chance or coincidence that Jesus got into Peter’s boat that day, and it’s not by chance or coincidence that He came into our lives either! But it is the intentionality of our God to meet His people right where they are. Jesus didn’t say, “Hey Peter, come to church this Sunday with me and hear this great message,” but rather got into Peter’s boat and brought church to him!
I’m not advocating that we stop inviting people to church, but I am advocating that we start taking the church to them more than we have. Jesus knows something that we must learn, and that is this: if we want people to reach people and get them to follow us to Christ, then we must first meet them where they are. Yes, Jesus taught in the synagogues, but He also did a lot of His work (teaching and miracles) outside the church walls and in the trenches. Like Peter, Christ met me right where I was at. He met me in a jail cell; He didn’t say, “When you get out of here, come see Me,” but rather met me right in the middle of my mess; thank You, Jesus!
There were two boats on the shore that day, and Jesus got into Peter’s for a reason. Jesus wanted a relationship with Peter, and He wants one with us too! He didn’t get into our boats just to hang out but with the specific intention of setting us free and calling us His own. Think about when Christ got into your boat, and remember that He got into your boat for you, not the boat. He wants you! We serve an intentional and intimate God; are we being that way towards Him?
Colossians 3:1-4- Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
God bless! I love you all, but His love gets into our boats! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Luke 5:4,5
When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 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.”
Jesus is calling Simon Peter out into deep waters both physically and spiritually. He was challenging Peter to believe His word over what Peter had experienced the night before. In a sense, Christ is saying, “I know what happened last night, but will you trust and obey Me?” He is still asking us that same question today.
Maybe you have been praying and waiting on a breakthrough for a while. Maybe you have put the proverbial nets into the water time and time again with the same results. But what would we do if Christ called us to do it one more time? Would we try to rationalize our disobedience and why it wouldn’t work? Or would we be like Peter and say, “Lord, it hasn’t worked all this time, but since You say so, let’s go give it a shot!”
Don’t give in to the temptation to give up or lose hope. We must have faith in God and trust Him when He tells us to move. We can’t try to rationalize our faith but rather just walk obediently in it. I’m not sure that many (myself included) ever thought I would be delivered from death to life. It wasn’t until the day Christ set me free that it went from a prayer request to an answered prayer! What would have happened that day He called my name if I had said, “Nope, I have tried it all, and nothing has helped. I’m just gonna sit in my shame and guilt and wait to die.” What a pitiful way to go when I had the Beautiful One before me, calling my name out of the darkness into His marvelous light!
Hold fast to Him, and when He calls you to drop those nets, let ‘em fly with all confidence in Christ, our King! Thank You, Jesus, for saving a wretch like me! There is a blessing at the end of faithful obedience:
Luke 5:6- When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
God bless! I love you all, but His love is all-powerful! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Luke 5:6
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
John 21:6 - He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
The first verse is right before Jesus calls Peter, and the second verse is right before He reinstates Peter, and you can see the abundance in both! As I was reading this morning, the Holy Spirit gave me one of the truths about why Jesus did this. You see, Jesus was showing Peter that his sin or denial doesn’t affect Who Christ is! That no matter what we do, Jesus Christ is the same always (Hebrews 13:8)! The first time Peter meets Jesus, he has this catch of fish, and Jesus then accepts him and calls him to follow Him, much like in this second catch of fish! Jesus is basically saying, “Your sin doesn’t determine My love for you! You are Mine, and I will provide for you in all areas if you will just follow Me!”
He is saying that to us today as well! That He offers a life of abundance, not of possessions or property but of an abundance of Him and all that He is! There is nothing sweeter than being in the Presence of God, and Jesus is offering that to you today!
Another thing about this verse is that in both instances, they had been out all night fishing and caught nothing, yet Jesus tells them to try one more time, and guess what? He delivers! Do we trust the Lord when He tells us to do something that doesn’t make sense or that seems like a waste of time? Do we trust that He knows what He is doing better than us? Do we sit and argue or complain, or do we, like the disciples, trust and obey? Jesus is telling you today to cast your cares upon Him as you cast your nets in the water of life! Jesus is the Truth, and He speaks only Truth, so listen to the Truth, and you will walk in the Truth and never be put to shame!
1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
God bless! I love you all!!! Glory, Honor, and Praise forever to God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit!!!
Luke 5:15,16
Yet the news about Him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Jesus made it a priority to meet with the Father; do we? It takes effort, it takes intentionality, it takes a willingness to deny your schedule and focus upon Him. It isn’t easy, and it won’t come naturally at first, but it’s so vitally important to our walk with Him. We can expect the enemy to fight us every step of the way, but remember, the One who is in you is greater than he that is in the world! In other words, our God is greater than our enemy!
Let’s think about Jesus’s situation for a moment. There would have been crowds of people clamoring for His attention, seeking His help, and at some points even becoming a distraction to Him if He would allow it. He basically would have been mobbed by the crowds like a famous athlete or movie star would be today. Yet He does not let the attention distract Him from what truly matters most. A personal relationship with God! Yes, Jesus heals and teaches; yes, He spends most of His ministry pouring into others, but He also makes it a point to meet with the Father, continually. He shows us that it’s not just a one-and-done type thing but a continuously growing relationship.
If God’s own Son did it this way, how much more do we, the adopted children, need to follow His example? We can’t pour from an empty cup, and we can’t fill our own cups. We must go to the Source if we want to pour from the Spirit! Jesus was able to carve out time with His Father in the midst of the madness, and if He can do it in that type of environment, then we can do it in ours! It will take effort, it will take intentionality, it will take intimacy, and it will take us to new levels in Him!
1 Peter 2:2,3- Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
God bless! I love you all, but
His love leads the way! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God,
Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Luke 5:32
“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Good morning and God bless!!! After a couple weeks off and seeking the Lord, I felt like God was leading me back here, and let me tell you, it’s a blessing to be back!!! I have learned many lessons and truths over the past couple weeks, but the one I feel led to share today is this: God’s loving forgiveness far outweighs my sin, and my expectations do not dictate His actions. Throughout my walk, there have been sins that I deem worse than others, and when I commit those, I expect to find a harsher or sterner Father. But that’s just not true.
Yes, there are different consequence for our actions, but our Father in Heaven does not change or love us any less. He simply can’t! Jesus gave His life for the angry Stephen as much as the prideful one, He gave His life for the selfish Stephen as much as the sexually immoral one, Jesus called sinner Stephen to repentance, not the righteous one. Jesus never said I was forgiven for everything but that one big sin. That’s not how it works, and I believed a lie straight from the pits of Hell.
The size or severity of our sin does not dictate or change His love for us!!! His blood will always be more than enough to reconcile us to the Father, break every chain, heal every wound, and renounce every lie. Lucky for us, the first qualification to come to Jesus is pretty simple: you must be a sinner, and that, my friends, is something we all have in common!!!
Be encouraged and be encouraging!!! I love you all, God bless, and glory to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment