I will Do As You Say: Part 4

        Jesus did not merely ‘happen upon’ this particular boat and these fishermen; this was not haphazard.  Knowing that He was going to call these men, He had a plan. And it was a plan that was all about blessing them in what they already knew how to do, to get them ready for an even harder obedience: to leave everything and follow Him. 

Luke 5:4   “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.'”

Notice how He got Simon Peter halfway there.  Jesus first asked him to ‘put out a little way from the land' where He continued teaching the people from the boat before asking Peter to go out farther.  I wonder if Simon would have put out into the deep water with the nets if Jesus had asked him while he was still at the water’s edge washing his nets.  Imagine how much harder that would have been.  In His graciousness, He already had Simon Peter in a place where it would be easier to obey - easier to take another step forward to walk in obedience - in an encounter that would forever change his life.

 I believe that we can see Him work this same way in our lives.  What hard thing is He asking of you right now?  Consider the ways in which He has coaxingly already had you take some of the baby steps (which you may not have even realized you were taking for any particular purpose) towards that obedience, in order for it to not seem like such a leap.  It still may not make it seem any easier or more doable, but will you allow that to encourage you and build your faith that your Big God can and will enable you to do all that He has called you to do?  Will you go on with Him? Will you take those next risky, impossible steps? Take them with Him - for with Him nothing is impossible .  

What is He calling you to do next? 

"Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God..."  2 Corinthians 3:5

"...forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:14