Luke 5:9-11 “For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid, from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him.”
Here the decision was to abandon the business-as-usual. With it came fear of financial insecurity and loss of identity as a professional fisherman. Jesus’ calling to be the fishers of men didn’t include a pay scale or check stub. There were no guarantees other than the Sermon-on-the-Mount assurance that God would provide for their needs.
Principle: God will provide for our needs when we decide to go all the way with Him.
When I was fearful about finances I went to the Bible and looked up all the “fear not” and “don’t be afraid” verses. There were seventy of them. The objects of fear were not duplicated – from Genesis to Revelation. My fears are financial.
I have been in advertising most of my life and I am fine with it. No huge success but doing okay until recent years. Peter and partners were often mentioned as sitting around mending their nets which doesn’t make them sound like world beaters either.
A couple of times Jesus had to tell them to fish on the other side of their boat when they were coming up empty handed. God has also tossed up some unexpected business to me that I had not worked for, looked for nor deserved.
Peter and partners probably used their assets for their new ministry as they traveled around for those three years. I have done some of that too and will continue as God provides.
In this instance, however, Jesus said “Go all out. Basic training is over. Make the big jump and you do not have to be afraid. I’m not revealing the whole future to you, but trust Me.
The fish catch that day was success, but fresh fish has a limited shelf life. Fishing for fish and changing to fishing for men seems high risk. Mike Ditka said, “Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.” Jesus proved that true success is spiritual and there is no failure in it at all.
The attitude of Peter and company here is noteworthy … complete surrender with fearlessness.
Discussion:
1. What is your primary source of fear?
2. What steps is the Lord asking you to take toward releasing that fear and surrendering to Him?
3. How might that decision change your attitude?
