The Gospel of Luke 5:8 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8 KJV).

In earlier passages of these writings of Luke, we're made aware that Simon Peter and his fellow fishermen toiled all night fishing, but had caught nothing. The Lord Jesus Christ, who just finished teaching the crowd, motioned Simon and his team to go out into deeper water and let down the nets again. Despite Simon's skepticism, they followed His instruction, dropped the nets down at a spot they thought was just a waste of time and effort. And, here they're struggling to haul in a great catch that their nets begin to break. For a professional, making a living out of fishing like Simon, this is not luck. This is a miracle, a clear act beyond the human realm of understanding. This is a demonstration of heavenly power and authority over the natural world!

Simon, a Jewish man brought up under the observance of the religious environment of legalism in the law, conscious of sin, falls down before the Lord. Being overwhelmed with the sense of unworthiness asked the Lord Jesus to depart from him. Acutely aware of his sinfulness is driving him to distance from the holiness of Christ Jesus - the Person of Grace, who positions very close to him. Looking through the lens of self effort to observe the law, man’s consciousness of sin draws him away from Grace. The stigma of sin is the work of the law. The law was given to increase guilt of sin to stir humanity to recognize the need for a savior to be delivered from sin and death through the person of Grace in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 7:7-25).

Sadly, religion with its doctrine of performance in self-effort, blinded many, then and now. The reason the religious Jews resisted against the Lord Jesus and crucified Him (John 19:1-6). We, therefore, must always be aware and conscious of God's grace. Allow grace to draw us to Jesus Christ our Lord. Whoever you or we are, wherever we are in our walk on this planet, and whatever stature we have in life, we must take off our eyes away from ourselves, from wrong beliefs and from religion. Let’s start looking to our Lord Jesus Christ and pursue Him. He will see you/us and call you/us to come. Just like He did to the un-presumptive, un-religious and profiled sinner, short taxman Zacchaeus perched on a Sycamore tree, as it is written: “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.” (Luke 19:5-6 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
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