Do Not Be Afraid

 Luke 5:1-11

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. ² He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

⁵ 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.”

⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷ So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Even after seeing the miraculous catch of fish,  Simon, James and John must have had a bit of anxiety in leaving their tried and true business, to follow Jesus, only with a vague idea of what they would  be doing the rest of their lives, let alone that night.  Where would they eat, sleep, how long was this commitment?  Yet, they left all and followed.

At one point, or even perhaps at several points in our lives, the invitation is put before us.  Sometimes we don't hear the reassurance, "Don't be afraid" and it takes extra coercion for us to step into the unknown and when we do, we find what the apostles found:  he calls, we comply and he provides.  As simple as that, and it truly works. As the old saying goes: "Try it, you'll like it,"

Bro, Rene