This morning I read Luke 5:1-11. This is the story of Simon becoming a disciple of Jesus. I am usually convicted by verse 11. In verse 11 it says the Simon left everything and followed Jesus. Usually, I pray right after I read this that I become like Simon and follow without hesitation.
Today, I paid attention to verse 5. In verse 5, Simon basically says, “We’ve tried this before. But since you said so, I’ll let down my net.” It’s interesting because at this point Jesus wasn’t known as the Messiah yet. They may have thought of him only as a prophet or someone other respected religious leader. How does Simon who doesn’t even know how Jesus was blindly follow? I don’t follow even knowing Jesus is the Messiah.
Verses 6 and 7 say that the fishermen caught so many fish they couldn’t hold them all. I then thought how easy it is for me to do things with God as opposed to when I try to do it alone. The bible says they toiled all night long and caught nothing. The moment Jesus added himself to the equation they had more than enough.
Lastly, I saw something new in verse 11. For the first time this morning I saw that Simon left everything including what we worked all night for to follow Jesus. It’s crazy how things I could have prayed for for years are still nothing in comparison to following Jesus. I want to be able to say I will give up the things he recently gave me to follow him. It’s crazy how the same verse has different meaning when you read it with open eyes.
God is goof y’all!