“And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”–Luke 5:10b-11
As Jesus reveals His deity to the fishermen their lives are changed. They are not the same weary men who got into the boat earlier.
The Lord addresses their fears and emotions that could hold them back, “Do not fear…” He gives these simple men a new vision of His nature, along with a new identity and purpose. “From now on you will be catching men.”
Seeing more of Jesus gives us faith to leave our nets behind.
[tweetthis]God’s work in our lives makes us brave and changes our purpose. [/tweetthis]
When you row into the deep with Jesus…
“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” –Ephesians 3:16-19
If Simon were only focused on the big catch, he would not have wanted to leave the blessing. And oh, what he would have missed!
- When the desire that pulses through our veins and motivates our work is only to bring in the big catch, our lives will only be about the fish.
- Our biggest achievements will only be the things we’ve been able to accomplish with the capable efforts of our own hands.
- Day after day, we will hang onto our nets, casting our hearts for smaller visions.
And fish is all we will catch.
When we’ve been to the deep with Jesus, He provides what we need to leave the old ways behind and follow Him more intimately.
[tweetthis]When we’ve been to the deep with Jesus, He calls us from pursuing things to investing in people.[/tweetthis]
When we’ve been to the deep with Jesus, He invites us to participate with Him in the deep work of God in the hearts of men.
When we’ve been to the deep with Jesus, He is “able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us...
–Ephesians 3:20.
Leave the shallows, Friend.
Discouragement hangs heavy around our necks when effort seems to fail. There is not one empty net in our lives that does not have meaning and purpose. If we give up, reel in our hearts, and leave our nets on dry ground, what will we miss? Venture into to the deep with Christ and let him fill your soul with overflowing revelation, courage, and purpose.
A few thoughts to remember from this short series:
- He is in it with us–He’s in our boat in the middle of our failures and our weariness.
- We can never give more to Jesus than He will give to us (David Guzik).
- Powerful lessons and opportunities come in the disguise of our mundane, simple tasks.
- Some fish will not be caught in the shallows and some lessons cannot be learned in the easy victories of life.
- The deeper work of God is often accomplished after we realize our efforts have come to nothing and our trusted strategies have not worked.
- When Jesus takes us into the deeps, it is not just about the fish.
- Could it be that God is simply waiting for us to realize that working in our own efforts will never bring the catch that God desires to give?
- God’s work in our lives makes us brave and changes our purpose.
What speaks to your heart most in this post today?
This is the final post on Luke 5. If you missed the previous posts:
- Simple Encouragement When Work Fails
- Courage to Simply Try Again When Work Fails
- It’s Simply Not About the Fish or the Work
Read more about this in Ginger’s award-winning book with Abingdon Press. Click the image below to purchase your copy.
*This post contains an affiliate link at no cost to you.
So glad you're here. I help busy women—gals like you— build healthy habits for living well with biblical wisdom and practical steps to deepen your faith, increase your hope, and thrive in your purpose.
I found great encouragement in this post!
When you said, “The deeper work of God is often accomplished after we realize our efforts have come to nothing and our trusted strategies have not worked.” it lept off the page at me! I almost gave up on a ministry I’ve had for five years because the “trusted strategies” just weren’t working anymore. The Lord has led me in a new direction for the ministry, and I found great excitement and encouragement at the thought of the “deeper work of God is often accomplished after we realize our efforts have come to nothing.”
Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you found new vision for your dream. So often what we interpret as failure is simply redirection on God’s part. What a great example of that. Thankful you found encouragement in this place today!
What a truth-filled, encouraging post! God’s plan for us is the best blessing we could possibly have, and we will miss it if we hang on to what we think we can accomplish in our own strength. Linked up with you at Faith-Filled Fridays — hope you’ll stop by Saved by Grace for a visit!
God bless,
Laurie
I will enjoy stopping by Saved by Grace. Such fun to see that endless ways Christ expresses Himself through other bloggers. I’m so glad you stopped by today.
Great post! I love that we are able to leave the old behind and follow Jesus to a more glorious and full life. Have a great weekend 🙂
This is one of those concepts that we thing we know, but also catches us by surprise at times. Blessings for your weekend!
Dear Ginger, I must first apologize for not visiting earlier, had my first book signing today! Wow! My whole week was busy.
Hope you understand!
I love this, Jesus calls us to invest in people.
Thank you so much.
Congrats on your first book signing!! I understand all the hard work and waiting and hoping that is part of that special moment! How kind you are to stop by when you are busy with special things. Isn’t grace a wonderful blessing!
Yes! “He [Jesus] is in our boat in the middle of our failures and our weariness.” Great encouragement to trust Him–and follow His call on our life. I’m glad you visited my blog. Have a blessed weekend.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m so glad you found encouragement here. Look forward to seeing what you’re up to on your blog!
Ginger, you betta preach girl. Our vision can be so small and not come above the earth’s horizon. We can miss the whole point so easily, getting caught up in the results of our efforts versus getting caught up in joining the One Who calls us to fish. Oh if we were to see the treasure is not in the work, but it’s in the One we work with and knowing Him intimately. What a great reminder and “vision adjuster”. Thank you!
Love your phrase, “vision adjuster!” That gets at it doesn’t it? There are times when I feel like I’m simply taking dictation from the Lord and this series was definitely one of those times. They were truths and adjustments that I really needed to understand or be reminded of. What a sweet joy it is to see God using the lessons he teaches me spreading out to encourage others.
Wow – I’m going to have to go and read through the series. Just this post left me wanting more! Thank you for sharing with us at Grace & Truth. I especially loved the reminder that – ” Powerful lessons and opportunities come in the disguise of our mundane, simple tasks.”
Thank you!
I have to say that this series was pure joy as God demonstrated what He was teaching me about going to the deeps with Christ. I hope you have time to read the rest. I’m not taking credit for this, as I simply took notes as the Spirit put truth in my thoughts. Thanks so much for visiting!!