Inspired by Luke 5:1-11:
A thousand times, I let my nets down—sometimes successful, sometimes not. This was how I made my living. I knew how to fish. Been fishing as a boy.
Late last night, my buddies and me went out to try our hand at catching fish but came up with absolutely nothing. So, when Jesus said he wanted to go fishing today, I was more than skeptical. But my master requested to go out. I said fine but all along I was thinking it will be such a waste of time. I put my nets down on one side of the boat, and, just like I thought: nothing. Jesus told me to put the nets down on the other side of the boat. I couldn’t believe it. Do you know what happened? It was the most fish I have ever caught at one time, and I have had some big catches in my day. The boat, it started to sink due to the weight of the catch so I called out to our nearby fishing buddies. By the effort of our two boats, we were able to haul our catch inland. When we brought up the catch of fish, the nets started to tear. At that point, I knew right then that Jesus was responsible for allowing this poor fisherman to take this catch—a once in a lifetime catch. But why? How? It was then that I understood who Jesus really is, the long- awaited Messiah, the Son of God. I realized my unworthiness standing in the same boat with God, and I said, “Forgive me, Lord, I am a sinful man.”
When I was confronted with the very presence of God, I had the realization that I was not clean. Shame just flooded in, the shame of being filthy before a holy and pure God. But guess what? This filth of mine was not a surprise to Almighty God. There were no words of condemnation out of the mouth of Jesus. There was only one thing I needed to do: ask Him for forgiveness, and that’s exactly what I did. There was a total change in my heart and He cleansed me. With Jesus’ never-ending mercy and grace, His forgiveness was poured out on me, and then the journey began—the journey of knowing the One True God. Afterward, Jesus said just two words to me, “Follow me.” And that was all I needed to hear so I followed Jesus. I gave up all I ever knew, my livelihood, my family, my home, and never turned back. Looking back at my life, I never regretted that decision and it all began when I had the catch of my life.
Discussions to make God known 