Hosanna Restoration Church

Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel? Have you ever felt like just giving up because things were not going your way? Well maybe you were just after the wrong thing. Or maybe you were just going about it all wrong. Maybe you have been doing the things the best way you knew how, but it was not what Jesus said. So now maybe you are angry, discouraged, or just at a loss for understanding and here comes God talking to you through His word, or in prayer, or through a pastor, a teacher, or a stranger on the street and your spirit bears witness that this is God. Now what do you do.

Take a look at what Simon does. Here is a ruff tuff fisherman who has just worked all night and caught nothing. Not only was it a waste of time, and a loss of income, it also did not look good. Can’t you just hear others who had caught something giving him a hard time? Anyway, here he is now feeling badly as he cleans his nets. Cleaning nets was more hard work and this time it was for nothing which increases the frustration. Now, here comes Jesus asking Him to stop that and take him for a boat ride. Well actually He just asked him to take Him out a ways so He could talk to the people. Can’t you just imagine some of the thoughts that may have been going through Simon’s head? He probably found himself wondering why in the world he ever consented to do it, but there he was with Jesus in his boat listening as Jesus taught.

Somewhere in the presence of Jesus, Simon started to change. He became impressed with this stranger. So when they got all done and Jesus told him to go out and throw down his nets He decided to give what Jesus said a try. Even though he really did not think anything would change and even though he was full of doubt he went ahead. Oh my, was he glad that he tried. Not only did he have fish for himself, he had so much that the others had to come and help and their boat was filled too.

The change that was taking place in Simon came full circle as he looked at the catch. He came to Jesus and told Him that He should leave. He said, “I am too much of a sinner to even be around You. But Jesus assured him that from now on he would catch men. Wow, Simon had just experienced the catch of a lifetime and Jesus called him to a different life. Amazing as it may seem, he just dropped everything and went with Jesus. In one amazing moment Simon had put the word of God to a test and God had proven Himself faithful. As a result Simon was willing to entrust God with his future and the future of his family. I am sure that it looked like a foolish choice to many around him. Can you imagine what his wife might have said?

The sooner we come to the place where we will do what Jesus says not matter what we may desire or what we may be accustomed to or what it may look like to others, the sooner we will see Him doing the greater things in and through our lives. What ever you say Jesus. That is what I will do.