https://odb.org/MY/2021/11/16/fishing-with-jesus
When I read Jesus’s early encounters with Simon Peter in Luke 5, two elements stand out for me. One is that as experienced and skillful Simon Peter is as a fisherman, Jesus was still better at identifying the right timing and fishing spot to lay out the nets! Simon Peter tried all night but caught nothing whereas Jesus just tried once and they caught so much that their nets began to break and even two boats struggled to contain the enormous and overflowing catch!
The second thing that stood out for me is that Jesus could turn the skill, expertise and experience of Simon Peter in the natural into something spiritual for the Kingdom of God. From a fisherman into a fisher of men! Similar principles apply – need to cast out the net at the right time and place.
Thus, the message for us today I believe is that even in the areas where we are good at in our work, God is better and thus can make us even better. Like what I’m now doing as a trained and experienced lawyer and contract negotiater handling strategic procurement in the areas of contract, lifecycle and innovation management among my strategic vendors. It’s a new and wide encompassing role that will capitalise on my core skills harnessed over the years. However as it is a broad and very strategic role, you could say that I’m either set up to fail spectacularly or succeed sensationally. If there is no breakthrough gains or significant values secured for the next 3-5 years horizon, I would have failed. Despite the enormous task ahead, I’m quietly confident that there will be something distinctive out there that I can carve out for my organisation by just looking at the example of Simon Peter. He caught nothing but with Jesus’s help, he caught too much! His catch was too abundant and overflowing! If God is with us, who can be against us indeed!
More pertinent however is the point that Jesus can also turn our skill, expertise and experience into something relevant, useful and effective in and for His Kingdom of Grace. What we gained in the natural in our studies, at work, in managing projects and people, and in interacting with vendors and personel at various levels – all could be used for His glory, for His purposes as we sanctify our hearts and dedicate our skills, expertise and experience to Him. Give them all unto Him for His glory and He will find a way for us to be like Simon Peter – fisherman turned fisher of men! In the process, we will find our true calling in God as His plans and purposes for our lives are revealed to us and we live out them out in our lives. We will then be like the Israelites in the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey with fortified cities, strong armies and giants to conquer and defeat for God in the name of Jesus! We will be living out our destiny in God like David’s deepest desire to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of his life! Surely goodness and mercy will follow us as we live in the shadow of His wings, in His loving embrace enlarging His territory here on earth, ensuring that His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven! Amen!
Ronnie's Thoughts 