“When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” Luke 5:11
Luke chapter 5:1-11 is an account of Jesus preaching to the crowds pressing in around him by Lake Gennesaret. He sees two boats by the lake and one of them belonged to Peter, who He asked to put out a little way from the land, so He might preach from it. Peter did so. When he had finished speaking He told Peter to let down his nets in the deep water for a catch. Peter, not knowing who he was, informs Him they have been fishing hard all night, and caught none. Peter then responds but I will do as you say and he let down the nets. When Peter obeys the Master they enclosed such a quantity of fish their nets began to tear! He called his companions and both boats were filled with fish! Peter fell down at Jesus’ feet saying, “Go away from me. I am a sinful man.”
Jesus responded, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”
When Peter, Andrew, James, and John met the Master they left everything to follow Him. If we look to the Word of God for our standard of becoming a disciple of Christ it looks very different in most
churches today. That is why it is so important to read the Bible for yourself. When you read Luke 14:25-33 Jesus teaches to stop and count the cost before becoming His disciple. It is a very serious commitment, and He must have first place in every area of our lives. We must love Him above all else. We do not lose our lives when we make that choice. We gain our lives, and the life He intended for us with eternal purpose.
Unfortunately many believe the church is to meet their social needs only. They plan a lot of activities and social events in His name, and yet they aren’t seeking His will, but their own agenda. Leaders the Lord appoints are true servants as He was. They aren’t striving to make a reputation for themselves, and they are not motivated by selfish ambition and empty conceit. If we follow Him, we become like Him. If you don’t spend consistent time in His Word, you will not know if you are following Him or not. We are accountable to the Word of God. It is what we must sift our lives through to truly be a disciple of Christ.
I pray you will consider the response of Peter and his companions. We all come to Jesus the same way Peter did. We have all been sinful. Jesus will receive us just as we are. Just as the fisherman has to clean his fish for them to have value, we must be cleaned also. We are cleansed by the washing of the Word of God. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Are we willing to leave behind everything of our old life that we might embrace the new? Can we truly say we have left everything in order to follow Him? He deserves no less. Remember, God the Father gave His all, His only Son, and Jesus gave His life that we might be cleansed by His sinless blood from all our iniquities; not just when we receive salvation, but continuously as we are all striving to work out our own salvation. There is always hope for the hopeless. God’s love makes all things possible to those who love Him. I pray that includes you. If not, may I assure you He desires you. It is not His will that any perish. Yet, He created us with a free will. He will not force anyone to be His. We all must make that choice in life. Choose well, dear friend.
In His love.
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
www.masterpiecefitness.com
276-237-6680
Lovely pasture of golden rod and ironweed all enjoy each year at my cabin! Beautiful contrast of deep purple and bright yellow! Apple trees are loaded the deer are feasting on. Sweet paradise!
