“When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ 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.’”Luke 5:4-5 (NIV)
If you’re a follower of Jesus, he expects you to obey whatever he tells you to do—even if it appears foolish to other people, even if it doesn’t make sense financially, and even if you don’t understand it and are scared to death.
Luke 5:4-5 says, “When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ 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’” (NIV).
Jesus had stepped into Simon Peter’s boat. But he didn’t stop there. He also started giving this professional fisherman instructions on how to fish!
Notice Peter’s reaction. He didn’t argue with Jesus. He didn’t say, “Excuse me, Lord. You’re a carpenter. I’m a fisherman. And those fish aren’t biting! Who are you to tell me how to do my job?”
And he didn’t hesitate. When Jesus told him to launch the boat, he didn’t say, “Why don’t we think about this for a minute? Let’s form a committee and vote on it” or “We’re pretty dirty and tired here, Lord. How about we try again this afternoon?”
What did Peter do? He responded to Jesus with unquestioned obedience.
I don’t know what God has told you to do, but I will tell you this: Disobedience always hurts you because you miss God’s blessing.
But if you become a “because God says so” man or woman, you’ll get to experience all of his blessings. His instructions do not have to make sense to you. When God says so, you just need to do it, trusting him in faith.
You can trust God because he always has your best interests in mind, even if you can’t see it right away.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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