Scripture Story for the Week
Of Towers and Powers
Luke 5:1-11
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 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 fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Footnotes:
[a] Luke 5:1 That is, the Sea of Galilee
Occurring near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, this story has Him using the boat of Peter, a soon-to-be disciple but current fisherman. What follows will be a humbling, life-changing experience for a fisherman who will indeed follow this man Jesus – for a lifetime. This is the goal for all of us – a lifetime of following Jesus into death and finding life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, as I prayed earlier this week, step into my life like you stepped into Peter’s boat. Show me how to live my life under your direction. In Your name I pray. Amen.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Some of the most sincere and honest people I know tell me that when they get into the presence of God, they just can't pay attention. And if we lose our capacity to pay attention to God – for long, or even for short, lengths of time – who knows who we’ll become? You see, not only is hurry toxic to our emotional health and spiritual life, but it's also symptomatic of much deeper issues of the heart. I love how John Ortberg framed it: hurry is not just a disordered schedule. Hurry is a disordered heart.
J.M. Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, p. 55