Gospel

Fish for People

by Roland Crim
02/02/17
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When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 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 fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:8-11 NIV

Here again we see Peter responding with his heart. He was awestruck at what Jesus had been able to do with His authority. He realized that Jesus was very special and He could not measure up to Jesus. Peter knew he was a sinful man and did not deserve to be in the presence of the Lord. He knew he was so sinful that he begged Jesus to go away from Him.

Peter, in this manner is exactly what Christ seeks. Christ seeks the lost. He seeks sinners. He seeks those who need a doctor to clean the very core of the human being…the heart, mind and soul. Jesus came to seek out the lost, not the self-righteous. Jesus is the true doctor.

What does it take for each of us today to act in the manner that Peter did within this passage? Whatever that may be, we must find it. We must rid ourselves of any self-righteousness or self-centered selfish attitude. We must totally empty ourselves of ourselves and fill up totally with Jesus Christ. Only with Him at the center of our core being can we have a new life and be truly free. The only way we will ever be exalted is by truly humbling ourselves.

Our Lord tells us not to be afraid, for we shall be fishers of people. I never much thought of myself as a fisherman until I met Jesus Christ. May we all help each other as we fish for souls for Christ. The ocean (this world) is full of many fish. Let us work to bring these “fish” to Jesus Christ!