You want me to do what, Jesus?

Listen here:  https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/2238c706/you-want-me-to...

The word has gotten out about Jesus. He not only teaches like no other, but as captured in Luke chapter 4, he also casts out demons, heals people and sets them free. Who is this man??

Pictured is the northern shore of the Galilee where this next story takes place! It is a peaceful stretch of beach on the large fresh water lake that probably looks much the same as in Jesus' day.

Luke writes, "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. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 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.

 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.”

 “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.” 

And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 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.

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.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 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!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus." Luke 5.1-11.

As a child in Sunday School, I remember singing a chorus, drawn from these very verses: "I will make you fishers of men... if you follow me." But that is not what is running through my mind as I revisit this miraculous story today. Rather it is Jesus' instruction to go back out in the lake and let down their nets that has my attention. Why, it was silly - these are professional fishermen who had caught nothing all night, but Jesus tells them, 'go back... try it again, try now?!'

While the call to follow Jesus is vital, the mandate to share the gospel with others,(being fishers of men), cannot be ignored, first and foremost: we are to obey him.

Indeed, what screams off the page of my Bible is this:

-->even when we do not understand the reason 'why'

-->even when it seems illogical or unnatural--possibly even ludicrous,

Obeying Jesus Christ is paramount in our lives.

George MacDonald was a Scottish poet, preacher, novelist who boiled all of life's truth into a simple two-step process: realizing who God is, then obeying Him. "True faith, true belief, is not possible where there is not a daily doing of the things he says. They are what make faith take root and spring to life... obedience is not perfection, but making an effort." 

     "What a man believes is the thing he does, not the thing he thinks." hmmmm.

Therefore let's obey what we know to do. Here are a few starters:  

>love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength ~ Mark 12.30

>love your neighbor as yourself ~ Mark 12.31

>pursue holiness ~ 1 Timothy 6.11; counter cultural for sure. holiness?!                                         

>be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other ~ Ephesians 4.32

>let no trash talk come out of your mouth, only what is helpful ~ Ephesians 4.29 (my paraphrase)

Okay, 'got it on these things, but here is another thought.

As you and I talk with God in the morning and throughout the day, perhaps we feel a nudge to say or do a certain thing meant to honor God. For instance, this is an inner nudge I get, sometimes when I am standing in a retail store: 'ask her if you can pray for her.' 'Really, Lord? She's working--do you see how long this line is? You want me to ask her right now?' [This happened twice in the last week]. The impression, the compulsion to act does not lessen. Right then, I make a choice to obey or override that which has the potential to both 'love God' and 'love my neighbor'.

While it was totally illogical for those fishermen to put out their nets again, having caught not a single fish all night, they obeyed. And then the Lord blessed them mightily.

Is God tugging at your heart or mind about something? Obedience not only honors God, it makes you his friend. Look up John 15.14. I want to be the friend of Jesus...you?

short, powerful, familiar song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr-edxRbII8

If we truly trust him, we will obey him.

Christine

Luke, #19