“[Jesus] said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:4b-5)
Jesus told Peter to let down the net, but Peter already “knew” that there were no fish to be caught that day. He and the other fishermen had toiled all night and caught nothing, and it seemed only logical to assume they should just wait until another time. However, Jesus gave the direction “let down your nets”, and very likely Peter thought Jesus didn’t know what He was talking about, but he went ahead and threw in the net. And what happened next?
“And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:6-7)
There were so many fish that the net started to break, and they had to call over their fishing partners in the other boat for room for all of the fish and help – and even the two boats almost sank under all that load!
(Luke 5:4-5 & 6-7)
It may be that in your experiences the last few weeks, you feel like you’ve caught nothing – everyone is refusing the tracts and good news of Jesus that you desire to share with them, and it seems fruitless to bother to put in the effort to go out again. But you never know when God might have prepared a great “net full of fishes” for your next net cast!
Peter didn’t have any expectation that he would catch any fish, he simply answered “yes” to Jesus’ command, regardless of what the outcome would be. Are you willing to say “yes” to Jesus’ command, to “go out into the highways…”?
“Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.” ~ Matt. 22:9
As John Quincy Adams said “Duty is ours; results are God’s” May we all obediently say “yes” and cast in our net, leaving the outcome up to our All-powerful God.
Quote taken from America’s God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations by William J. Federer page 15
I asked a lady “Did you get your million yet?” I handed her the tract and she was very appreciative. I told her that our family had made these as special souvenirs for the 250th. Then she asked “Can I have two more?” I gladly gave her two different ones to give to her friends. As she turned to leave, she stopped and said, “Actually, can I have five more? I’m going to mail them to my nieces and nephews!” God has such creative ways of getting the gospel to those who we cannot reach in person!
~Anna
My brother and I went grocery shopping and tract giving last week; I was tired that morning, and knew that I needed to have the joy of the Lord be my strength. Plus, in my Bible reading, God was showing me about not doing things in my own strength. I was also reminded of what someone had shared recently about how the action of “going”/starting prepares you. In addition to all of that, the verse of the day on my phone was: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20). I wrote in my journal: “God obviously planned it [the verse of the day]! I don’t feel like going out or feel ready to pass out tracts, but God says I am His ambassador TODAY, to bring His reconciliation to people. Yes, Lord, I will go.”
On the way to town, we sang “I will enter His gates” (from Psalm 100:4). Driving between stores, I noticed the license plate ahead of me had J O V, but to me it spelled JOY – it was His timely reminder for me!
After being at a couple of July 4th events, where everyone was by default very receptive to the 250th commemorative millions, I felt a little awkward trying to hand them to people and get out the explanation about them; but as we entered the next store, the Lord brought to mind the verse “…be instant in season, out of season;” (2 Timothy 4:2a), which was a perfect reminder to go ahead and give tracts even though I didn’t feel “in season”. And in that store, God gave a few good opportunities that I might easily have overlooked for not feeling like it!
One of the best opportunities was in the checkout line. The lady behind me said “No thank you” to the tract, but when I told her that our family made them for the 250th, she readily took it for her grandchildren, and I gave her 2 more so each of them could have their own. She was thrilled about the historical information on them, and told me they were perfect since her grandchildren are homeschooled. I also gave her the fourth version which she was happy to receive! When I was done checking out, I gave a 250th million to the cashier, and the grandma spoke up to encourage her to take it by saying “Their family made those!”
God is so good to reset our focus/perspective right when we need it – and just in time for His will to get done! Just think: in addition to my lack of “feeling like it”, which God took care of AS I went; if I had given up at the “no thank you”, those grandchildren – and for that matter, their whole family plus the grandma would have missed out on God’s will of giving them the gospel that day! And, I was encouraged through Him orchestrating that interaction!
God gave me the boldness and ability to hand out tracts – it was definitely not “me” that day!
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6.
~Charity