[Frodo]

Luke 5:1-11

This story is amazing to me. Now you'll have to remember, this is before Jesus was all that well known. I mean, he had some followers, but it was before his "career" was really launched. When he spoke to the people from the boat, it showed his commitment to teach people even when the situation was uncomfortable. And it also showed the peoples' willingness to be uncomfortable.
Now, I can just imagine what the fisherman were thinking when they shoved out the boat for Jesus to preach from. "Who is this loon? Why is he preaching from a ship? Doesn't he have a church to teach others from?" But instead of asking, they just obeyed and listened.
And then, they were rewarded. That's another great thing about God. No good thing goes unrewarded. Jesus told them to get into the boats, go out into the lake, and let down their nets.
At first, the fishermen were hesitant. I can just hear their thoughts: "Nobody ever catches fish in the middle of the day! I'm tired, I've been out fishing all night and want to go home. Who does this preacher think he is? He doesn't know anything about fish."
But after only a moment, the fishers went out onto the lake and threw their nets over the side. And then the miracle happened. The nets suddenly sunk down low, and the men shouted to each other, pulling up the nets. Soon, though, they began to tear, and they called for help. Another boat came over and helped them haul the fish onto the deck. The amazing thing was, both boats were full to almost sinking!
I think at that time, the fishermen were glad they'd obeyed! And they didn't just haul their fish to the market, rejoicing in their fortune! No! They left everything and said "We are following this guy!" And that's what they did. They gave a sacrifice to be with an amazing man.
A lot of times, when a miracle happens, we're tempted to just take it and run, ignoring the man who gave it to us! We need to remember that it didn't happen in our own strength. God did it, and we must follow him. All he asks in return is our life of service to him. I think that's a pretty fair price.