You Want Me To Do What?

Luke 5:3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets." 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (New International Version )


How hard is it to listen? How many times do we have to be told? I have three kids, and if you have children, then you know that sometimes you literally have to put blinders on them and hold their faces close to your face and talk slowly to them before they can hear. Sometimes, there's just too much going on. Sometimes, they don't want to listen. Same goes for us. We've been told, we've been taught, but yet we still question the instruction. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to be still, stop ourselves, and listen -- or read. I'm still amazed at the simplicity of Jesus' teachings. Jesus, the son of God, knows how to talk to us. He knows what to say to get our attention. He also knows that sometimes we simply choose not to hear Him. He also knows that we have to be told again and again and again. We (the people of today) are so blessed in that we have the complete word of God -- all in one neat little package -- the Holy Bible.

What does the Bible say?

2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

We're also blessed in the fact that in the Holy Scriptures, we have righteous men and women whom we can look to for an example on how to live.

See this example:

1 Corinthians 4:14-16 14 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians in part to tell them to follow his own example on how to live. Paul imitated Christ, and Paul encourages us to do the same.

My prayer is that we will examine the Scriptures, the Holy Bible, the Word of God, and ask God to lead us and open up our hearts and minds to His will for us. My prayer is that we stop pushing our own will, but submit to God completely. My prayer is that we can study to learn for ourselves what God is saying through His word, and not be willing to blindly believe anyone else simply because we respect them. My prayer is that we will stand up for what is right, Holy, and true and not be lead away to serve ourselves.

Are you listening to what God is saying in His Word?