Fishing lessons (1)

Lesson one: Invite Jesus into your boat. That’s the starting point! Always! Nothing has greater influence on your personal success than whether or not you have Jesus Christ in your life. By himself, Peter fished all night and caught nothing. But when he brought Jesus on board, he caught more fish than he had ever caught before. Now, Jesus never performed a miracle without a purpose. He always used His miracles to illustrate principles. So this incident teaches you what to do when you’ve failed or when your best is not good enough. For Peter, his boat represented his livelihood. When you’re a fisherman, your boat is your business! It’s significant that Peter invited Jesus into his business, and Jesus used it as a platform for his ministry. Are you willing to do what Peter did? If you are, the Lord will bless your business. Indeed, He’ll bless anything you give Him. If you give Him all your life, He will bless all of it. But if you give Him just part of it, He will bless just that one part. And here’s another thought: having Jesus in your boat eliminates the fear of failure and reduces your worries about the results. When Peter made Jesus his fishing partner, the results were incredible. But don’t miss the sequence. First, Peter used his boat for Jesus’ purposes. Then Jesus blessed Peter’s boat and used it to take care of all Peter’s needs. Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT). Did you get that? “Everything you need.”