And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he 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. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
(Luk 5:1-6)
The fisherman in this narrative were exhausted yet had nothing to show for it. They had toiled through the night but had caught nothing, perplexed, drained and probably discouraged, they were left washing their net with no fish. In those days, the fishermen washed their net at the end of their daily labor. However, these ones were washing theirs without fishes; they had caught nothing! Their empty boat was not a reflection of their toil. They had labored and caught nothing therefore they seemed to be a failure. However their plight was a perfect opportunity for Christ to use their empty boat. Their empty boat was the room Christ needed to utilize to minister the gospel to the crowd.
We have labored yet empty handed
How many believers feel exhausted, drained and overwhelmed yet had nothing to show for it? Not only is your bank account not a reflection of your daily toil but your life has left you bewildered, confused and discouraged because your hard labor has not paid off, your strategies have failed to improve your life. You have been reduced to washing your net without any fish. You have exhausted all your options and now contemplating to quit with no strength to fight on. But hang on a minute and see how Christ will turn your life around.
You are needed in the Kingdom
Though the disciples seemed to have failed, Christ saw them to be asset to the kingdom. Though you have messed up, God will make a message out of it, He is still in the business of making the impossible possible. Today, He is demanding to use your life if you are stranded out, stretched, perplexed , drained, God still sees you as an asset for the kingdom. The failure of these fishermen was a perfect opportunity to Christ. Christ stepped into the boat and preached the gospel message, after He was done, he asked Peter to repeat that very strategy that had left him washing his net without fishes. After an initial hesitation and careful deliberation, Peter decided to trust Christ in spite of his past failures. He obeyed Christ to cast his net into the deep and to His surprise, he caught many fishes. What made the difference was not a new innovative strategy, increased toil, an opportune time but rather Christ in the boat. As Peter gave the boat to Jesus to preach the gospel message, Christ reciprocated to turn their liability into asset; He transformed their failure into success.
Today Christ will be demanding an area of your life that has been unfruitful for the sake of the gospel. Do not hesitate to dedicate wholly, consecrate deeply, and obey totally because he has something up his sleeve. An opportunity to spread the kingdom message is the key to turn your problems into fortunes. Christ is demanding to use your life for the kingdom. Will you yield wholly to Him? Do that and see Him enrich your life.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mathew 6:33).
Transforming Believers to Disciples, Equipping Ministers to Fulfill their Divine Mandate, Raising Spirit Filled Entrepreneurs, Empowering Dreamers to be Achievers,
Transfering Believers to Disciples, Equipping Ministers to Fulfill their Divine Mandate, Raising Spirit Filled Entrepreneurs, Empowering Dreamers to be Achievers,
