In my communion time with the Lord this morning, the Holy Spirit prompted me to look at Luke.5:1-11, where Jesus requested the use of Peter’s stationary boat. We see that Jesus had a purpose for that boat because people had gathered along the shore of Lake Galilee to hear Him teach about the Kingdom, and they were pressing closer and closer to Him.
Jesus needed a place from which He could effectively reach them, and Peter’s boat became the platform He chose. Think what an extraordinary picture layout for the Good News of the Kingdom.
Peter on the other hand was thinking about his business, whereas Jesus was thinking about the Kingdom. Peter had a boat, and Jesus had a plan for the boat, and the business resource that Peter possessed was about to become an instrument for reaching lives.
Peter and his fellow fishermen had just come through a very disappointing night because they had toiled all night long and caught nothing. They had used their nets and bait to attract fish, applying the expertise they had developed through years of experience. Yet, despite all their labour, they had caught nothing.
Their disappointment was real and their nets needed to be cleaned. Peter was around the shoreline securing the nets, washing them, and checking whether they were broken. He was also checking the boat to make sure it was properly anchored and had no leaks.
From the natural perspective, Peter was simply trying to recover from a bad night’s work and prepare his business for another opportunity. However Jesus saw a bigger picture Peter could not yet see because Jesus had a divine plan for Peter’s business that morning.
More importantly, His plan involved all the partners of the business, and that plan was going to change their lives eternally. However there was something Peter and his partners needed to do first. They had to agree with Jesus’ plan by giving Him permission to use what they already possessed which was their boats.
This giving of their boats was necessary because Jesus wanted to involve their business in the preaching of the Kingdom and, through that act of service, bring His blessing and reward into their lives.
Peter had something Jesus could use, and Jesus was asking for it. This is an important Kingdom principle that we always have to be willing to give first. Generally, however, we never want to give first, but we always want to receive first. But the Lord’s pattern is different.
Genesis.8:22 reminds us of the principle of seedtime and harvest which represents the divine order of giving, sowing, and then receiving. Peter therefore needed to be willing to allow Jesus to use his boat first to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom which Peter did.
Once Peter made his boat available, Jesus proceeded to use it to reach the people who were pressing toward Him. Just think about the significance of this after Peter’s boat had just been associated with a night of failure. It represented empty nets, exhaustion, disappointment, and unproductive labour. Yet Jesus was about to transform that same business environment into the setting for one of the greatest encounters of Peter’s life.
Sometimes what we think is merely just a business resource is actually something Jesus wants to use for Kingdom purposes. So your business may become a platform for Kingdom expansion and your workplace may become a mission field.
Your profession may become a place where people encounter Jesus and your resources may become the instruments through which the Kingdom reaches people. The question is always whether we are willing to let Jesus use what we have available.
When Jesus finished speaking to the people, He gave Peter instructions concerning what they needed to do to catch fish. This is where the story becomes even more remarkable because Peter and his partners were the experts at fishing. Fishing was their business and they understood the lake and they knew by experience how the fish behaved which is why they fished at night.
They had already spent the entire night working. And now Jesus, the preacher, was telling these experienced fishermen how to fish in an environment where there was so much noise. From the natural perspective, the instruction could have seemed unreasonable. However Peter was discerning enough to at least act on the word of Jesus, and his response reflected the principle Mary had given the servants at the marriage feast in Canaan in John.2:5 that:
Whatever Jesus tells you to do, just do it. You ask Why? Because the words of Jesus never fail to produce the great results He speaks. Even though Peter only partially obeyed Jesus by dropping down one broken net, something astonishing happened.
This resulted in Peter learning something new about fishing. So the man who had spent his life fishing discovered that Jesus knew something about fishing that he did not know, and this was wisdom that money could not buy.
Lord Jesus, I make what I have available in my life to You today. Please use my business, my work, my skills, my resources, my opportunities, and everything You have placed in my hands for the advancement of Your Kingdom.
Where I have experienced disappointment, frustration, empty nets, and unproductive labour, help me not to allow yesterday’s experience to determine today’s expectation. Give me the discernment of Peter to hear Your instructions and the grace to do whatever You tell me to do in Jesus name. Amen.
Today I am sharing the first part of my communion time with the Holy Spirit on giving your business to Jesus to be used for the Kingdom.
In my communion time with the Lord this morning, the Holy Spirit prompted me to look at Luke.5:1-11, where Jesus requested the use of Peter’s stationary boat. We see that Jesus had a purpose for that boat because people had gathered along the shore of Lake Galilee to hear Him teach about the Kingdom, and they were pressing closer and closer to Him.
Jesus needed a place from which He could effectively reach them, and Peter’s boat became the platform He chose. Think what an extraordinary picture layout for the Good News of the Kingdom.
Peter on the other hand was thinking about his business, whereas Jesus was thinking about the Kingdom. Peter had a boat, and Jesus had a plan for the boat, and the business resource that Peter possessed was about to become an instrument for reaching lives.
Peter and his fellow fishermen had just come through a very disappointing night because they had toiled all night long and caught nothing. They had used their nets and bait to attract fish, applying the expertise they had developed through years of experience. Yet, despite all their labour, they had caught nothing.
Their disappointment was real and their nets needed to be cleaned. Peter was around the shoreline securing the nets, washing them, and checking whether they were broken. He was also checking the boat to make sure it was properly anchored and had no leaks.
From the natural perspective, Peter was simply trying to recover from a bad night’s work and prepare his business for another opportunity. However Jesus saw a bigger picture Peter could not yet see because Jesus had a divine plan for Peter’s business that morning.
More importantly, His plan involved all the partners of the business, and that plan was going to change their lives eternally. However there was something Peter and his partners needed to do first. They had to agree with Jesus’ plan by giving Him permission to use what they already possessed which was their boats.
This giving of their boats was necessary because Jesus wanted to involve their business in the preaching of the Kingdom and, through that act of service, bring His blessing and reward into their lives.
Peter had something Jesus could use, and Jesus was asking for it. This is an important Kingdom principle that we always have to be willing to give first. Generally, however, we never want to give first, but we always want to receive first. But the Lord’s pattern is different.
Genesis.8:22 reminds us of the principle of seedtime and harvest which represents the divine order of giving, sowing, and then receiving. Peter therefore needed to be willing to allow Jesus to use his boat first to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom which Peter did.
Once Peter made his boat available, Jesus proceeded to use it to reach the people who were pressing toward Him. Just think about the significance of this after Peter’s boat had just been associated with a night of failure. It represented empty nets, exhaustion, disappointment, and unproductive labour. Yet Jesus was about to transform that same business environment into the setting for one of the greatest encounters of Peter’s life.
Sometimes what we think is merely just a business resource is actually something Jesus wants to use for Kingdom purposes. So your business may become a platform for Kingdom expansion and your workplace may become a mission field.
Your profession may become a place where people encounter Jesus and your resources may become the instruments through which the Kingdom reaches people. The question is always whether we are willing to let Jesus use what we have available.
When Jesus finished speaking to the people, He gave Peter instructions concerning what they needed to do to catch fish. This is where the story becomes even more remarkable because Peter and his partners were the experts at fishing. Fishing was their business and they understood the lake and they knew by experience how the fish behaved which is why they fished at night.
They had already spent the entire night working. And now Jesus, the preacher, was telling these experienced fishermen how to fish in an environment where there was so much noise. From the natural perspective, the instruction could have seemed unreasonable. However Peter was discerning enough to at least act on the word of Jesus, and his response reflected the principle Mary had given the servants at the marriage feast in Canaan in John.2:5 that:
Whatever Jesus tells you to do, just do it. You ask Why? Because the words of Jesus never fail to produce the great results He speaks. Even though Peter only partially obeyed Jesus by dropping down one broken net, something astonishing happened.
This resulted in Peter learning something new about fishing. So the man who had spent his life fishing discovered that Jesus knew something about fishing that he did not know, and this was wisdom that money could not buy.
Lord Jesus, I make what I have available in my life to You today. Please use my business, my work, my skills, my resources, my opportunities, and everything You have placed in my hands for the advancement of Your Kingdom.
Where I have experienced disappointment, frustration, empty nets, and unproductive labour, help me not to allow yesterday’s experience to determine today’s expectation. Give me the discernment of Peter to hear Your instructions and the grace to do whatever You tell me to do in Jesus name. Amen.
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