Luke 5:10b

Luke 5:10b – Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”

       Simon saw a glimpse of who Jesus was through a miracle of fish. He and his partners had been fishing all day to no avail. Then Jesus told them to throw their nets once more. Going against the evidence of not having caught anything all day, they obeyed. When they did, they caught so many fish their nets couldn't hold them all.

       Simon Peter saw this and received a revelation of who Jesus was. He fell down before Him and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Fear swept over him because he saw how righteous Jesus was and it showed him the sin in his own life.

       Jesus, however, was not done with Simon Peter. Peters life was about to change. Jesus gave him the miracle of fish and then told him, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”

       I like how Jesus made the connection between what Peter was doing now to what he was called to do. Jesus does that for us as well. He will take what we now know and do, and incorporate it into the plan God has for us.

       Let’s also look at this story in the literal sense. All day long these men had been fishing and had caught nothing. Jesus shows up, they hang out for a while, and then Jesus tells them to cast out one more time. They obey Him and the result is overwhelming.

       Like the disciples, there are things in your life that you have been trying to do in your own ability. Despite all you've tried, you have not succeeded. You are getting discouraged. It is time to turn to Jesus.

Hang out with Him for a while. Pray, worship and just spend time listening. Maybe He will direct you to do something else, or He might tell you to try one more time. Listen to His leading and obey. If you are obedient to what Jesus tells you I promise the result will be better than you can imagine.