Lent 2014: Simon Peter

Luke 5:1-11

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After first meeting Jesus through his brother, Simon went back to fishing. He had met the Messiah, but he had an occupation, a home, a family. Did Jesus specifically choose that spot on the Sea of Galilee because he knew Simon and Andrew docked their boats there? They certainly were not doing so well with their occupation that day. Simon and all his partners had worked hard all night and received nothing for their labors. When he saw how thoroughly capable Jesus was of bringing a miraculous abundance out of an impossible situation, Simon Peter immediately acknowledged Christ's power and his own insufficiency before Him.
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Simon Peter made three acts of faith in this passage: 1) He took out his boat and net into the lake because Jesus told him to even though he had no expectant faith that any fish would be caught. 2) He acknowledged the greatness of the Lord and his own sinfulness. He saw the miracle, recognized it for what it was, and admitted his unworthiness to join the mission. He didn't reject Jesus in asking Him to leave; rather he openly expressed that being asked to join would be an honor bestowed upon him, not one he had earned in some way. 3) He left everything, including the tremendously large catch they had just made, to follow Jesus.
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When the Lord asks you to take a step of faith, how do you respond? Are you willing to cast out your net when there is no reason to expect it to catch anything, simply because you are asked to do so?
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Do you realize what an undeserved honor it is to be invited to join Christ in His mission? Do you acknowledge your sinfulness, understand your unworthiness, recognize that His invitation is made out of love, not because of something you have done?
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Will you follow the Lord Jesus wherever He leads you? Through nights with no place to lay your head (Mt 8:20), through days of hunger (Mt 12:1), through wrongful accusations (Acts 12:5), until death, even incredibly painful and humiliating death (Jn 21:18)?
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Don't stick with subsistence fishing when the Lord calls you to another path. Follow Him as Peter did; the rewards are well worth every challenge you will face along the way.
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Linked with Works for Me Wednesday