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| Home | "What can Jesus do for me?"...Let Him into your boat and see! |
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| LUKE 5:1-11. " 1So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3Then 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. 4When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5But 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." 6And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7So they signaled to their parthers in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 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." 11So when they had brought their boats to the land, they forsook all and followed Him." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - In this story we see one of the many miracles that Jesus Christ performed. Such miracles proved that He is the Son of God, sent die for the sins of the world (John 3:16). Here we see Jesus becoming involved in the daily lives of these fishermen. He wants to become involved in your daily life as well. He is always searching for that person who is willing to accept Him. Simon seemed quite willing to allow Jesus to step into his boat. He raised no objections. If he had chosen to, it would have been his right. As Jesus seeks you out, are you resisting Him? Is there an area of you life where you are saying 'No no Lord, you can't go there."? If you are, then you are resisting a great change in your life for the better. Remember, it's a privilege to be sought out by Christ. There is always another boat Jesus can use (verse 2). Jesus is in the boat and starts to teach the multitudes (verse 3). A boat by the seashore being used as a classroom by the great Teacher! Surely a fishing boat wasn't made for that! Well, Jesus can use what you make available to Him to bless others. Jesus can use you to do things that you could never do by yourself - whether at home, work, or in the community. The main focus of the passage is the miraculous catch of fish, and rightly so. However let us not forget the vital teaching recieved by the people that day. Many people decided to follow Chris as a result. Jesus now speaks to Peter (verse 4). He gives a simple comand -'Do what you are supposed to do as you usually do it.' Peter seems to doubt. However he finally believes and accepts the command - 'nevertheless at thy word'. You see, Jesus can make the difference in your life. In whatever you do, you can be more productive and fulfilled. Like Peter, you may be doing all the things required of you - going to school/work, raising a family etc. However you, like Peter may have toiled hard and caught nothing. If you let Jesus into your life, you can have a 'great catch' with fulfillment, joy ,peace and so much more. Without Christ, you will never reach your full potential. However if you say like Peter "Lord, at your word", believe and obey Him, then He can do a great work in your life. So Peter obeys the Lord. They caught so many fish that the net broke! Jesus can use you - your talents, strengths, even weaknesses - to do 'more exceeding abundantly more than you could ever ask or think of Him' (Ephesians 2:20). Jesus can work in your life in such a way that astonishes you and all around you (verse 9). As Peter sees the miracle, he sees his own sinful nature, and asks the Lord to depart. Sin is the only thing that separates us from Him. Will you today acknowledge that you are a sinner? Will youi accept Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour? Notice that the boat was the same, the net was the same, the sea was the same. However it was the presence of Jesus that made the difference on the second fishing trip. Jesus can have that effect on your life. From personal experience, I have never regretted letting Jesus into my 'boat'. Him and I are sailing the sometimes stormy sea of life together. If you have not let him into your 'boat' then I encourage you to do so today. Give Jesus a chance. |
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