Luke 5:4-5 (NJKV) When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
Don’t you love it when we see how Jesus specifically instructs an individual or a group of people to do something? It is also wonderful to witness from Scripture how the disciples responded to the Lord’s instruction.
Jesus’ instruction, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”, couldn’t have been more specific. Simon Peter obeyed the instruction, and he called Jesus, “Master” after he had heard His teaching at the shore. Truly, faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. They did exactly what Jesus instructed despite having caught nothing the previous night, and it wasn’t the best time for fishing.
John 21:6 (NKJV) “And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.”
Again, in the above Scripture, Jesus provided specific and minor details when He said, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat.” Some might argue, “Why not the left side?” Some people will struggle with such simple instructions because they think God won’t bother with such minor issues in their lives, but what if the fish were found on the right side because Jesus had ordered it that way? Therefore, we should just listen and obey!
We often carry out our own agenda in life and expect God to bless it and bail us out if needed. However, our own ideas are just man’s ideas, albeit being good ideas! We expect and demand that God bless the project or business, and people are disappointed when God does not bless their plan. We must realise that God is not obliged to bless our plan when He was not even consulted about it, and we are certainly in no position to dictate God to do things for us or even bless our plans.
He is the Lord of our lives. Therefore, it’s important for us to pursue, articulate, plan and execute God’s idea and dream, and it is good to obtain God’s endorsement before we rush out to execute the idea. Not every idea is God’s idea. Therefore, it’s important to consecrate our plan, idea and dream to Him. Get a confirmation through Book, Chapter and Verse (BCV), including a witness of the Holy Spirit with godly counsel. If we are confident that it is God’s idea, we know that God will pay and bless it! However, if it is our idea without consecration, we must bear the cost ourselves! Once God has given us the idea, we own the idea, and know what the final product will look like. We are impregnated with it. We will not have a firm footing to do whatever we want to do unless it is the Lord’s instruction or part of His will.
Sermon Series:Consecration
你确定这是祂的旨意吗?
路加福音5:4-5:耶稣对西门说:“把船开到水深之处,下网打鱼。”西门回答说:“夫子,我们整夜劳力,并没有打着什么。但依从你的话,我就下网。”
当你看到耶稣如何具体地指导一个人或一群人去做某事时,难道不觉得很棒吗?更妙的是我们见证了圣经中门徒们对主的命令是如何回应的。
耶稣的指示,“把船开到水深的地方,下网打鱼”,再具体不过了。西门彼得听从了这个指示,并且当他在岸边听到耶稣的教导后,他称耶稣为“老师”。确实,信道来自于听道。尽管前一晚他们什么也没捕到,而且当时并不是捕鱼的最佳时机,但他们还是按照耶稣的指示去做了。
约翰福音21:6:耶稣对门徒说:“你们把网撒在船的右边,就必得着。”他们便撒下网去,竟拉不上来了,因为鱼甚多
在上述经文中,耶稣在说“把网撒在船的右边”时,祂再一次提供了具体而细致的细节。有些人可能会不同意,说“为什么不撒在左边?”有些人会因为这样的简单指示而挣扎,因为他们认为上帝不会为他们生活中的这些小事操心,但如果鱼之所以在右边,正是因为耶稣已经这样命令它们了呢?因此,我们应该听从并顺服!
在生活中,我们常常只顾执行自己的计划,并期望上帝祝福它,处境不妙时还希望上帝帮助我们摆脱困境。然而,我们自己的主意都只不过是人的主意,尽管可能是好主意!我们期望并要求上帝祝福这个项目或事业,当上帝没有祝福他们的计划时,人就会感到失望。我们必须意识到,上帝没有义务祝福我们的计划,因为压根儿就没人找祂咨询过,我们当然也没有资格命令上帝为我们做事或祝福我们的计划。
祂是我们生命的主。因此,对我们来说,追求、表达、规划并执行上帝的想法和梦想是很重要的,在匆忙去实施这个想法之前,先获得上帝的认可是件好事。并不是每个想法都是上帝的想法。因此,将我们的计划、想法和梦想奉献给祂是很重要的。通过圣经、章节和经文(BCV)得一个确据,包括圣灵的见证和敬虔的忠告。如果我们确信这是上帝的想法,我们知道上帝会支付并祝福它!然而,如果这是我们自己的没有被分别为圣的想法,那么我们必须自己承担代价!一旦上帝给了我们这个想法,我们就拥有了这个想法,并知道最终的成品会是什么样子。这想法注入我们心里。除非那是主的指示或祂旨意的一部分,否则我们将无法坚定地去做我们想做的事情。
讲章系列:分别为圣
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