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Face to Face:Commitment
by J. Ross Greer of The Place of Grace Ministries (about the ministry)
[Note: If you'd like to read more from J. Ross Greer, be sure to subscribe to his daily e-mail list A Word For The Church.]
1Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. 4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets. 6When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
There are really two issues in this passage – obedience and commitment. Jesus borrowed Peter's boat in order to teach the crowd that was following Him. After His message was complete, Jesus then instructed Peter to begin fishing again.
Peter was probably bone tired from having fished all night without any success. However, Peter did as the Master instructed him. What a good example for us to follow. The result of Peter's obedience was a blessing of fish. We may not always see tangible results, but we will always be blessed by the Father when we obey and follow Him.
Peter was amazed and fearful in the presence of the power of God. We, too, would be in awe if we stepped out of our comfort zone and saw the mighty works of God. God is working miracles every day, but we often are too busy to take the time to notice.
Following the blessing came the call – the call to catch men with the Gospel. Peter, James, and John, left their comfort zone to follow Jesus and to participate in His mission. They left everything. That is true commitment. What have we left to follow Christ? To what are we still clinging? What is standing between us and a full commitment to the call of God?
Copyright 2002, The Place of Grace Ministries. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About The Place of Grace Ministries: In 1992, God interrupted the well-organized life of J. Ross Greer through a study called "Experiencing God". This encounter birthed a passionate vision for local churches that has become The Place of Grace Ministries. Through teaching, music, and writing, we call believers to return to the basic principles of God's Word and participate in the work of God. For questions or scheduling information, please contact us at: theplaceofgrace@att.net Or visit our web site at: http://home.att.net/~theplaceofgrace/theplaceofgrace.html |
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