Cast Your Nets, One More Time

This month my husband and I celebrate 19 years of marriage. I remember early in our marriage my struggles with cooking. I would try and duplicate something my mom had cooked, or even something on TV and it would flop. I was a bad cook. What went wrong? Why did every attempt to feed my husband totally fail? Easy I didn’t go to the source of success, a recipe.

I didn’t cook well, because I was doing it my way. The disciple Simon, had an experience with the true source of success, Jesus. In today’s passage. Jesus climbs into the fisherman’s boat and uses it as a place to sit and teach the crowd which had gathered. After he was done teaching, Jesus tells Simon to go fishing.

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.

I absolutely love how Simon says, “But because you said so, I will let down the nets.” Simon had been unsuccessfully fishing all night, but now he new it would be different. Jesus was the key. Just like a recipe was the key for me to be able to cook. Jesus was all Simon needed. Before he new it, so many fish were in the nets, his boat started to sink!

Is there an area in life where you are trying to do something without a connection to Jesus. It’s not going to work.  Perhaps you feel like it is working just fine, let me ask you…is your boat so full it’s sinking? Stay connected to Christ. Seek him first in all you do. And if he tells you to do something you have already tried without success, do it again, just because he said so.


Read today’s entire passage here. Luke 5: 1-11

Invite a Friend to go Fishing

Do you like to fish? When I was a young girl we lived near a lake and in the spring and summer my sister and I would sometimes accompany our father fishing in the evening. I was always excited when we were able to go with him, not because I loved to fish, but because just maybe I would catch something and my father would be proud.

Today we find Peter, James, and John receiving a fishing lesson from the Master. Jesus suggested they go out where it was deeper and let down their nets to catch some fish. Peter explained to Jesus the reality of the fishing business and shared some basic tactics with Him.

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” (Luke 5:5)

I used to go fishing to get my father's attention because I wanted to do something he would approve of. Jesus taught His good friends that fishing was going to take on a whole new meaning for them. The analogy of fishing for men was one they didn't understand but would soon embrace with all their hearts.

Now I want to go fishing but taking a different stance. I want to invite one or two people to build a new relationship with and for them to get to know me better. I would love to have a few more people to talk and laugh with; to be real with. Who doesn't need more friends, people to share life's ups and downs and process life with? 

Fishing is fun and who knows how it might change a life.  

Luke 5:1-11