A pastor visited a dying man in the hospital at the request of an acquaintance. When the pastor walked in and introduced himself, the man let out an awkward laugh and said he didn’t need a pastor, he’s going to be fine. Kindly, the pastor replied, “You’re not fine. You’re headed into eternity without knowing God. I’m here to share with you how to know God and know your life is safe and secure with Him for eternity.” Softly, the sick man replied that no one else has been brave enough to talk to him this directly. He listened intently and through tears received Christ that day.
“When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Why did Jesus have to remind fishermen to cast their nets into the deep? Like all Scripture, the details are richer and deeper in meaning than it first appears. The deep is where evil lurks, where the storms rage the hardest, where under currents rip the nets, and where terrifying stories happen. But it is THERE that God’s grace meets evil face to face.
Jesus was teaching them that their job would soon be “fishers of men,” and those that need saving are deep in sin; so lost that all they can see is despair. “He drew me from the pit of destruction; out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” (Psalm 40:2)
Saving souls is no time to play it safe. Where the sin is deep and dangerous, God’s grace is deeper still. May we trust God as we throw our nets into the places no one else wants to go. His Word promises that it will never return empty (void).
May God give us a loving boldness, just like this dear Doctor that saw the desperate state of this man’s soul and in confidence he threw him the net of God’s saving grace. If we cast into the deep, we, too, will find that our nets are full of precious souls that were longing to be shown a way to be saved.
Cast deep!
Коментарі