Become Fishers of Men

Have you ever felt God calling you, but casually dismiss it, kind of like I’ll get around to it attitude?  You’re not alone, there are many called that don’t answer right away.  Let’s dive in and seek the scriptures, we continue today in Luke 5:

1“One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.”

If you ever felt a calling, but never really pursued it or maybe you tried but things seemingly just didn’t work out, or maybe you have a calling and you’re sitting on your hands, idol for the Lord and His work. Well, the same fell true for some of the disciples (Peter, Andrew, James & John) they were called by Jesus to follow Him and over time they all slipped back to their career of fishing.  Now maybe they found it too hard to do ministry when Jesus wasn’t with Him, or maybe they succumbed to the pressure of rejection of the gospel message.  This falls true today in our lives.  Many of us are called and we might initially answer but we too, like His disciples, fall away and return to our routine.  But as you can see as we read Luke 5 Jesus pays them another visit.  This time He decides to use their boat to do some teaching and after He is done teaching He has a little more teaching in store for His lackadaisical disciples. He tells Simon to cast his nets into the deep water.  Now for them, they just finished up their day without a catch and were cleaning the nets and putting in some labor at the end of a day.  They were already discouraged and were probably skeptical at Jesus’s request.

Do you feel like that sometimes?  Have you been casting your nets in your business, your family, in other relationships, or even in your Christian walk?  Do you feel rundown and tired?  Is the race too hard?  Well, Jesus has the answer to that.  “Go,” he says, “and cast out your net into the deep waters and you will bring in a catch so great that you’ll have to call in your friends to help you bring it in.  Your catch will be so great that your boat will be on the verge of sinking.”  Jesus’s disciples were so amazed that they fell to their knees in awe as you will too.  It’s never too late to answer the call and get back on board.  Jesus has a plan for us and He lets the disciples know that from now on they will be fishers of people.  He says this because clearly, Jesus has provided for them in such magnitude that they can all truly follow after Jesus and do His will unimpeded.

I understand in life things are complicated, so let Jesus uncomplicated them.  I understand in life things may seem impossible, so let Jesus make all things possible.  I understand that you may have burdens but Jesus says he will lighten your burdens.

Today we must get back in the boat and cast our nets out, let Jesus fill them to the point of overflowing so we too can follow Him and become fishers of men.  The Christian call may seem difficult and may be a bumpy road, but we are promised eternal life.  The Bible says in Matthew 7:13-14:

13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate, the highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Jesus is telling us that the path is broad and its gate wide and there are many who chose that way, but for His children, the path will be narrow and difficult and there will only be a few who walk it.  Is your life difficult; is your path narrow, are you walking down a path that everyone else seems to be pointing the finger at spewing evil?  As a Christian we must walk as Christ did, this is the message He was conveying to His disciples.  After the call the first time they did run back to their old ways wanting that security, doing what they as mere mortals could do and that is the path for the world, but Jesus did not give up on them and relentlessly perused them showing them the way.  He showed them that although difficulty may be the way and a path only a few travel down that He will provide for them and take care of them.  Today He reaches out to you, maybe it’s your first call, maybe your second.  Regardless of how many times, today is a new day and Jesus wants you to answer it.  Cast your nets into the deep water and let your catch be of epic proportions so you too will have what you need to follow after Him holding nothing back.  The Great Commission is our call and answering it has eternal rewards.

Casting your nets out to where you have cast once before and expecting different results will take faith. The same kind of faith it took Peter to step out of the boat into the deep waters when Jesus had asked Him to.  In Matthew 14:29:

29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”

Whether casting our nets from the boat into the deep or stepping out of the boat into the deep, this will take mountain moving faith of which you do have, if called according to His purpose.  So start exercising your faith today and cast those nets, letting Jesus pave the way for you.  Walk with Him down that narrow path, alone if you have to, because it is the narrow path, the difficult path that will lead you to a righteous life ending in eternal bliss with our Savior Jesus Christ.