Have you ever failed at something? How did it make you feel? Were you downtrodden and depressed and did you decide not to attempt it again and walk away? Did you decide that try and try again until you accomplished what you failed at? I believe that many of us attempt things in our own strength and this is the reason that most of us fail at things. The Bible teaches us that we can do all things through Christ. The Bible also tells us that it is not by our might but by the might of the Lord. And, often times we fail because we seek the counsel of the ungodly before we seek the counsel of the Lord.
"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." Luke 5:4-6.
Peter and his companions were fishermen. In those days you had to be very skilled and know your stuff to be successful as a fisherman. They didn't use bait or lures to catch fish as we do now, they had nets that they would let down and drag through the water to catch anything that might get in the way of the nets. At times, you had to determine where the best fishing grounds of the day might be. You basically relied on your instinct and knowledge to be a successful fisherman. As Jesus approached him, Peter was busy cleaning and putting his nets away. Jesus instructs him to go back out and fish some more. Now, remember, Peter is a fisherman by trade. He knows his trade and he is knowledgeable enough to know when the fishing is good and when it is bad. Peter tells Jesus that they had fished all night without success. However, he most likely heard of Jesus and the things He had been doing. What he does next demonstrates that he was willing to trust this Jesus person.
Friends, no one knows how to help us in our times of failure better than Jesus does. Many of us are too quick to seek out other means of gaining success instead of going to the One that can truly help us in our times of failure. Jesus will never overlook our short-comings or simply encourage us to do better the next time. Jesus will give us the victory in the midst of our failures! Look at our passage: Jesus could have told Peter not to worry about his empty nets and that he would be in a different business anyway. What Jesus did do was to tell him to launch out in deep water and cast his nets for a catch! Jesus insured him of the victory! He insured him of the catch. How humbling it must of been for Peter to have a carpenter telling a fisherman how to fish. Peter could have shrugged him off and went out and sought other counsel, other means of gaining success. Instead, he choose to listen to the advice of the One who knows.
Jesus often times gets our undivided attention when we fail. And sometimes He will take us back to the place of our defeat in order to build something good into our life. We might assume incorrectly that He might not want us to continue because we failed so miserably in our attempt. Many times the problem is that we relied too much on our own strength instead of relying on that of the Master's. Maybe it's a failed relationship. Jesus won't allow us to abandon it; He will help us learn from our failure and experience the difference He can make when He guides us in our relationships.
Friends, when we try in God's strength we will discover that success is indeed within our grasp. What we must not do is rely solely upon our own strength, talents, experiences. We also need to remember that to seek out ungodly counsel or other ways of obtaining success is to cut ourselves short when all we need to do is to go to the One that is the Creator of the entire universe. If we have recently experienced failure in something, we need to go to our Lord and allow Him to tell us where to cast our nets. If we do this, we might discover that we are on the brink of receiving a profound revelation from Him allowing us our success!
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
"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." Luke 5:4-6.
Peter and his companions were fishermen. In those days you had to be very skilled and know your stuff to be successful as a fisherman. They didn't use bait or lures to catch fish as we do now, they had nets that they would let down and drag through the water to catch anything that might get in the way of the nets. At times, you had to determine where the best fishing grounds of the day might be. You basically relied on your instinct and knowledge to be a successful fisherman. As Jesus approached him, Peter was busy cleaning and putting his nets away. Jesus instructs him to go back out and fish some more. Now, remember, Peter is a fisherman by trade. He knows his trade and he is knowledgeable enough to know when the fishing is good and when it is bad. Peter tells Jesus that they had fished all night without success. However, he most likely heard of Jesus and the things He had been doing. What he does next demonstrates that he was willing to trust this Jesus person.
Friends, no one knows how to help us in our times of failure better than Jesus does. Many of us are too quick to seek out other means of gaining success instead of going to the One that can truly help us in our times of failure. Jesus will never overlook our short-comings or simply encourage us to do better the next time. Jesus will give us the victory in the midst of our failures! Look at our passage: Jesus could have told Peter not to worry about his empty nets and that he would be in a different business anyway. What Jesus did do was to tell him to launch out in deep water and cast his nets for a catch! Jesus insured him of the victory! He insured him of the catch. How humbling it must of been for Peter to have a carpenter telling a fisherman how to fish. Peter could have shrugged him off and went out and sought other counsel, other means of gaining success. Instead, he choose to listen to the advice of the One who knows.
Jesus often times gets our undivided attention when we fail. And sometimes He will take us back to the place of our defeat in order to build something good into our life. We might assume incorrectly that He might not want us to continue because we failed so miserably in our attempt. Many times the problem is that we relied too much on our own strength instead of relying on that of the Master's. Maybe it's a failed relationship. Jesus won't allow us to abandon it; He will help us learn from our failure and experience the difference He can make when He guides us in our relationships.
Friends, when we try in God's strength we will discover that success is indeed within our grasp. What we must not do is rely solely upon our own strength, talents, experiences. We also need to remember that to seek out ungodly counsel or other ways of obtaining success is to cut ourselves short when all we need to do is to go to the One that is the Creator of the entire universe. If we have recently experienced failure in something, we need to go to our Lord and allow Him to tell us where to cast our nets. If we do this, we might discover that we are on the brink of receiving a profound revelation from Him allowing us our success!
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
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