DCLM Daily Manna 27 November 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Don’t Turn Him Away!
TOPIC: Don’t Turn Him Away! (DCLM Daily Manna 27 November 2022)
TEXT: Luke 5:1-10 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
KEY VERSE: “And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship” (Luke 5:3).
MESSAGE:
God has always needed humans to carry out His mission on earth. This does not mean that He cannot carry out His mission without the instrumentality of humans. In His wisdom, He has designed to get us involved. We are God’s creations and the vehicle for the advancement of His course on earth. However, in His choice of who to use, He never compels. He gives the privilege and leaves us with the choice of being willing to be used.
Jesus, in our text, needed a platform from which He would preach to the multitudes at the seashore. There were many boats around but He chose to approach that of Simon. Observe that He did not compel him to use his boat but simply “prayed him.” Had Peter turned Him away, He would have gone elsewhere. But thank God, he obliged Him. Jesus did not use and abandon Peter. He knew how he had toiled all night and had failed. He gave him the miracle of a great catch.
Overwhelmed by the blessing of a single moment of service and consecration, Peter took a wise decision for a lifetime of service and commitment. He saw the initial blessing as a tip of the iceberg. If he had given to the Lord a moment of service and gotten such a huge return, what would a lifetime of surrender bring him?
Today, the Lord is in search of ‘boats’ He can use. There are many people out there He needs to reach, to teach and to bless. Will you lend Him your ‘boat’ – your life, talent, house and other possessions? Are you willing to allow Him take your time and use you to reach people? Give all your best to the Master.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Let the Lord use you to reach the world.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Songs 1-4
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
