Faith-an essential ingredient in following Christ

Written by Dede Abebreser Tsonyake.

“Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the net.” (NIV) Luke 5:5

Bible reading: Luke 5:1-11.

Simon Peter’s faith in a man he barely knew was so amazing. His first encounter with Jesus Christ was the very day he trusted Christ so much to honour what he was told to do. One day, Jesus was preaching to a crowd close to where Peter’s boat was. So Jesus got into Peter’s boat (there was no account of the fact that Jesus asked Peter’s permission before getting into the boat) and then asked him to push the boat a little off shore and Peter obliged. Then Jesus sat and preached to the crowd. As I read this first encounter Peter had with Christ, it was clear to me that Peter was one polite gentleman. How many of us will allow a total stranger into our boat without permission and then go ahead and push him a little off shore just because he asked as to? Well, this is not the focus of this devotion but worth thinking about.

Peter did not know Jesus Christ but trusted Him anyway. All he knew about Christ was a man who gathered the crowd and taught them. However, when this same man asked Peter to cast his net into deep water for a catch, Peter told him how hard he had worked and caught nothing but since He, Christ, says so, then he will. Am sure if we were in Peter’s shoes, we would brush aside Christ’s instructions because we would be thinking, “but this man is even not a fisherman so why must I listen to him?” But Peter listened to Him and he witnessed his first miracle with Christ!

For us, we know Christ and we are His followers but how many of us fully trust in Him? How many times have we doubted that He is capable of handling that problem we have? How many times have we gone ahead of Him to solve our problems in any way possible because we think He is delaying? How many times have we forgotten that He exists? How many times have we told ourselves that our challenge is impossible to overcome because we have worked at it with everything we have? Hebrews 11:6 tells us it is impossible to please God without faith and since following God requires pleasing Him, it is important our faith be as strong as that of Abraham, Abel, Enoch and Noah (Hebrews 11:1-12).

My prayer for us all is our faith be and remain as a solid rock in Christ Jesus-Amen! God bless you.

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