Luke 5:1-11
Your Story
Talk about a time when God asked you to do something and it turned out better than you could have imagined.
My Story and the Bible Story
During my freshman year of college, my campus minister told me about a summer job he thought I was perfect for. It was being the children’s intern at a church in Macon. I laughed and told him I didn’t really work with children. But I said I would pray about it and see what God wanted me to do. I really wanted to work at the bookstore and that’s what I planned to do. But the next week, a friend of mine brought me a flyer for the same job. I felt those nudges that God was giving me, so I called and set up an interview. A few days after the interview, the preschool and children’s ministers called to tell me that they thought I was the right person for the job. I was shocked! But I felt like it was what God wanted me to do, so even though I was nervous, I said yes. I had no idea at the time how much that would change my life. God used that job to show me what God wanted me to do. And God has blessed me in ways I couldn’t imagine back then.
Read Luke 5:1-11. From the NIV: One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 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. When he 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.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 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. 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.
Simon, James, and John were fishermen when Jesus met them. They had just come in after a long night of fishing. And they didn’t catch anything. They were probably upset and maybe even worried. No fish meant they couldn’t feed their families and they didn’t have anything to sell at the market. And they were tired, because they had been out on the water all night. But here comes Jesus. The people were crowding around him, so he asked Simon to take his boat out so that he could preach to everyone. Simon was tired but he agreed. And what happened next changed his life. When Jesus finished preaching, he told Simon to go further out, and to put his nets in the water. Now, Simon had been finishing all night and he knew the fish weren’t biting. But still, there was something about Jesus. So he did as Jesus said. And something amazing happened: the nets were so full that they started to break! They had so many fish that the boats began to sink! They could feed their families and have a lot of fish to sell at the market. They couldn’t believe it! They knew Jesus had done that, and they left everything to follow Jesus.
Jesus did so much more than they ever expected! He gave them far more than what they needed, and he showed them that they could trust him. God does the same for us. If we listen to God, if we follow God and do what God asks us to do, God can do far great things than we could ever imagine. God is a generous God. And when we do as God says, God not only helps us, but blesses us in ways we couldn’t imagine.
Discussion and Prayer
- Think about the things you have done that God has asked you to do. What was the outcome?
- Think about what God may be asking you to do. Talk about it as a family. Do you need help doing what God wants you to do?
- How did Peter, James, and John show their faith in Jesus? How can we show our faith in Jesus?
Pray, thanking God for being so generous to us. Ask for help in doing what God wants you to do.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
