“Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
– Jesus to Peter (Luke 5:4)
Peter had labored with his fellow fishermen all night long and had not caught anything. Feeling discouraged, exhausted, and hopeless, the men were probably just about ready to call it quits. That’s when Jesus walked up along the shore and gave Peter some advice. “Go a little deeper!” Jesus sent them into deeper waters to try for the catch, and when they obeyed, they couldn’t make room for all the fish they caught! Christ’s power was evident, and Peter could respond only by bowing in humble worship.
Just after this miracle, Jesus told Peter He wanted to make him a fisher of men, and Jesus wants the same for us today. Yet in our modern “fishing” experience, we often choose to wade in the safe shallow waters (staying within our church walls) rather than to put out into the deep.
It’s easier and much more tempting to go and share Christ only in the neighborhoods where people similar to ourselves live than to go out into the deep water where unloved people are, where danger may be lurking, where rejection will be more common and painful. It’s more convenient to hand someone a tract than to become a friend and invest our time and love in a relationship.
If our lives aren’t bringing forth fruit seen in the lives of others, we should prayerfully evaluate our “technique” to see if we are in shallow waters. Maybe we aren’t “deep” enough in our spiritual walk with the Lord. Maybe we haven’t left our comfort zone in obedience to Christ’s call to serve in an unconventional way.
As we obey, we must keep one thing in our mind at all times: when God gives the increase and allows us to see success, He must always get the glory. After Peter caught all those fish, he fell to his knees in recognition of Jesus’ power. When the Lord allows us to bring others to Him, we must recognize the manifestation of His power alone. As we go deeper with Him, He will receive more and more glory.
written by Trevin Wax © 2009 Kingdom People blog
