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 5:10-11)

Read the full account in the Gospel of Luke HERE

Trust and Obey

When this story begins, Jesus is teaching on the shore of a lake. The large crowd is threatening to overwhelm him, so he asks some nearby fishermen to put one of their boats a little out from shore, and he sits and teaches from the boat.

When he finishes teaching, he tells Simon (also called Peter) and the others to let down their nets for a catch. It seems like a foolish suggestion to the experienced fishermen—they had been fishing all night with no success, and it was not an ideal time of day. But in an act of simple obedience, they do as he says and catch so many fish they have to call a second boat for help!

Peter falls to his knees in awe and fear—an appropriate response when God plainly reveals his power—but Christ responds with a statement full of grace and hope: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

The comment may sound a little strange to modern readers, but the command was clear enough to Peter and the other men. In another remarkable act of faith and obedience, they immediately pull their boats onto shore and leave everything behind to follow Jesus.

This is the nature of the Christian life: Trust, obey, follow Jesus.

Now, not everyone is called to leave their vocations and enter into full-time ministry like the Apostles. Whether you’re a missionary, a banker, a student, or a stay-at-home parent, each of us has the opportunity to shine as a light in the world (Matthew 5:14). As we pray “Your kingdom come,” we also resolve to be outposts of that holy kingdom until Christ returns.

What is Jesus calling you to leave behind? Maybe a part of your lifestyle has become the source of your security. Or perhaps you’re still clinging to your good works and self-righteousness. Maybe you need to leave your comfort-zone in order to share the gospel or simply invite a neighbor to church.

Obedience often comes at a cost, but the reward is greater than the sacrifice. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

How to pray…

Pray that we will be obedient as God calls us to follow him, and that he would give each of us boldness to share the good news with those who don’t know Jesus.
Pray for those in the LBC community who work in full-time ministry, particularly our pastors, Mike Tilley and Joe White.
Pray for those in the LBC community who serve God in non-ministry roles; that we would be “outposts of God’s kingdom” in our various vocations.
Play for church planters in Central Florida and beyond. Pray for Christ United Fellowship (planted out of LBC) and the Florida Church Planting Network (a resource for PCA church plants)

For the Family

Today we learn about sharing Jesus with others. We learn in Luke about becoming fishers of men. As a reminder to pray for others and reach out to them, make your own fishing pole for prayer:

Download the printable template HERE.

Go for a walk as a family and find a stick; as you are walking share together the names of people that you would like to pray for who don’t know Jesus.
Tie string or yarn to one end of the stick.
Print out the fish images and cut them out. Then write the names of the people that you want to pray for on each fish.
Hole punch the mouth area of the fish and tie the other end of the string to it
Enjoy your fishing pole as a prayer reminder!

CONTRIBUTORS

"Trust and Obey" - Katie Pollard

Katie is the administrator and communications director for LBC. Katie and her husband, Joel, moved to Orlando from Nashville, TN in 2014, when Joel became the Director of Worship at LBC. They both grew up in Carrollton, GA and have been leading worship together since their youth group days. They were married in 2011 and have two children, Sam and Evie.

"For the Family" - Michelle Crouse

Michelle Crouse has served as the director of LBC's children's ministry—SPLASH Kids—since the end of 2011. She and her husband Joshua were married in 2002 and have 2 children. Michelle grew up outside of Boston and graduated from James Madison University in Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She loves being with kids and loves the opportunity to be a part of teaching children how much they are loved by God, and helping them grow in their understanding of what that means.