Luke 5: 1-11
“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
John 21: 1-12 (After the resurrection)
After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.”
I’ve never made this connection before, but I just think that it is so incredibly personal that the miracle Jesus did to call Peter to a life of following him, was the same miracle he used to call Peter once more, after the resurrection. The Peter we see here in John 21 is a Peter who has lived alongside Jesus in his earthly ministry, who saw Jesus do all kinds of amazing things, and who denied Him three times before His crucifixion. This is a Peter who has denied the Lord and deeply regretted it, and has returned in shame to the life that the Lord called him out of. Through this miracle, in such a deeply personal way, Jesus affirms Peter by showing him that he chose him back at the beginning, and he still chooses him, and loves him despite how Peter denied him. It is through this repeated miracle of provision that the Lord communicates this truth: “You are more than a fisherman, you are more than the life I called you out of.”
Ephesians 4:22-24.
“to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Something I’ve been learning this year is that the Lord calls us out of our old ways and says, “That life is not for you anymore.” We are a new creation in Christ.
He simply calls us to follow him and let him take care of the rest. He does not ask us to perform for him, or be good enough or worthy enough of his call, but simply to follow him in trust.
Isn’t this just the Gospel, the Lord calling us to himself and out of such darkness into new life, a daily choice to lay down the life he has called us from and to let him provide a new nature, with new desires.
He calls us by name. He calls us out of our old lives, he calls us to himself. This cycle, over and over again.
Ephesians 2 presents such a clear picture of the Gospel, clearly affirming the truth that salvation is not by our own merit but in Christ and Christ alone. This includes the daily surrender of our old desires, of the flesh and all its selfishness, and seeking Christ in humility, not pride.
Wow. The Gospel is just so, so beautiful. I am such a different person than I was last year. For so many years I have believed so many lies about myself, and lies about the nature of God’s abundant grace and his character. I used to believe I could be good enough on my own, or that God was more pleased with my pretend perfection, or that he didn’t care enough about the small things in my life, or things I thought were too dirty to bring to the Lord honestly, and that it was my job to fix myself up to impress God before bringing my heart my Heavenly Father. What an amazing lie that was!
The truth of the matter is this: I was so so dead in my sin and I didn’t even realize it. Christ has saved me from so much. The Gospel is more real to me now than ever before in my life and oh so much more precious.
This year I was truly brought to the end of myself, though I did not understand it at the time, it was truly an act of God’s grace and for my benefit. I wrestled with God, and I fought the release of a false image I had made of myself. I hid so much brokenness in my life and past from the Lord, and thought that this pleased him, because I looked like a “good Christian” on the outside, never realizing that all the Lord wanted was my heart, pure and simple. In his amazing and confusing grace, He let me get to a place of emptiness that could only be filled by Him, and a place where I finally let him clean out all of the junk in my heart I never let him deal with before. Even in this, God has been so kind, and so patient with me. Only through Christ and by no power of my own have I been freed from so much brokenness, and freed not for independence from Christ, but for greater dependence on him, and deeper intimacy than I’ve ever known before. To know that I am both seen, known, and completely loved by Jesus despite everything and anything I’ve ever been through is the purest gift I’ve ever received.
I am so free from a salvation of works, and I am covered under a salvation of grace and sanctification. My sin was expensive, but the riches of His grace is enough. He saved me from my self sufficiency, from the sin of “God, I know better” and so much more. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. The life I live in the flesh I now live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” This is a verse I want to make a commitment out of for my life.
1 Timothy 1:15-16
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”
By denying we are without sin or believing that we can be good enough on our own, we attempt to rob the power of the Cross and give credit to ourselves instead. This kind of thinking is so dangerous.
Instead I’ve learned that there is power in bringing the hard things to the Light as it says in Luke 8:17, “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
Living on our own strength is so futile. In awareness of sin there is healthy conviction, repentance, and greater intimacy with the Father. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
If we do not acknowledge sin and bring it before the Lord, we say that the cross is not enough, and that we are not in need of the full sacrifice of Christ. Instead of leading to condemnation and self-hate, true conviction and healing of sin alongside honesty with other believers leads to the glorification of Christ by breaking the power of darkness over what is hidden, and letting in the Light.
Living a life that is passionate for God and open and honest before Him is no longer a life lived behind fig leaves, ( Genesis 3:7-8 “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”) but one that is living in humility before the Lord and others. Declaration of what the Lord has freed you from leads to freedom for others as well. No longer a life behind the fig leaves of false perfection, but a life that is forgiven in the sacrifice of Christ. We imperfect broken vessels are covered by the blood of the spotless Lamb of God, now able to stand in the presence of and be reconciled to the Father, and have His Spirit dwell richly in us.
Today I declare that Christ is enough for all my mess, and he can handle it all. I will not attempt to ‘fix’ myself, but to wholly rely on the covering of Christ, and to continually run to him in repentance, in trust, and live in His forgiveness, love, and intimacy which can be trusted. Psalm 139 says even my darkness is not dark to him. His light is enough. All my life is safe in his hands. I am not called to perfection, but to follow. It is not how often we fail, but how we turn to Christ despite those failures.
This is the gospel, that I was dead, and now I am alive in Christ and by Christ alone.
Like Peter, the Lord meets me where I am, and makes my net full of the abundant Grace only He can provide.
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1
sarah's heart 