What are you doing in faith just because Jesus said do it?
Not because the next great Christian author suggested it to you in his book of how to. But because out your relationship with Jesus you heard Him speak and now you are on the adventure of doing what He showed you.
It is an adventure no matter how big or small the step He told you to take because it is about to bring forth fruit and revelation in your life.
This is why it is just as important to walk by faith in the little seemingly insignificant things as it is the grand things.
What happened when obedience to let down the nets took place? They caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking!
By the way these men did not go through a course on how to strengthen their nets before this catch. They were surprised by the outcome and it was a new thing to have to handle. They had to think on their feet so to speak. No time to get over analytical about how to handle it. They just handled it by sharing it.
What happened when the blessing of God came upon them so greatly that it threatened to break their nets?
They automatically involved others! They passed it on to others.
What did Peter do here? He signaled to the others to come and help!
Jesus knows the when, the where, the how, and the what to do. He just needs men, women and children who will simply do what He tells them to. Men and women grounded in the call of His gospel.
Because Peter overcame the urge of his flesh to take rest as an entitlement and he followed the Lord’s will in the situation boats that once were empty are now about to sink and the only explanation is that it is the work of God and not man.
When men had toiled all night nothing came of it, but when men at the direction of God simply let down their nets grace was in such abundance it was nearly sinking the boats with the fruit of faith and grace!
Sometimes we fall into the trap of doing our own thing but still wanting God to give us quality abundant fruit. We want the quality fruit grace fueled obedience to His will produces without doing His will.
We see what He says simply enough in His word but we find ways to avoid acting on it in faith. We sometimes even say that is meant for others but it does not apply to me.
The manifestation that is taking place in these fishermen's lives is not because they came up with idea to go back out into the deep and let down their nets. It came because despite all logic in the moment, despite the fact that what Jesus said to do runs against what they are feeling in their flesh, they did it!
What are you doing in faith because of the word of Christ?
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
