The blessing of inconvenience

Click here to read Luke 5:1-11

"He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little way from the shore." Luke 5:3

Once upon a time, three fishermen were washing their nets beside a lake called Gennesaret. They had gone out to fish the previous night and tried their best all night to get a catch. However, their attempts were futile and yielded no result. Despite their hard work all through the night, the fishermen returned empty handed. They had two boats, one that belonged to a man called Simon and the other that belonged to James and his brother John. Meanwhile, Jesus was standing beside the same lake and the crowd around Him were pressing in on Him to hear the word of God.

Jesus noticed these two empty boats on the shore as well as the fishermen who were outside the boat washing their nets. He got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to draw the boat a little away from the shore. Once the boat was a little way from the shore, Jesus sat down in the boat and started teaching the crowd.

Now I want you to notice a few things about Jesus from Simon’s point of view. Simon had guided the boat ashore after a long night’s work. He was now cleaning up and getting ready to shut shop. At this point in time, Jesus gets into his boat and asks him to put out a little way from the shore.

Notice the etiquette:

Notice that Jesus did not ask Simon first and then get into the boat. Jesus got into the boat first and then asked Simon. Talk about etiquettes! I wouldn’t be very pleased if you behaved that way with me. It’s only polite to request my permission first and let me know why you need me to put my boat out. If I consent, you may get into my boat and I will put out the boat for you. Jesus on the other hand, gets into Simon’s boat and then asks him to put it out. Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus has perhaps required something from you – maybe an act of service, maybe an apology to make, maybe a financial offering? He has required a step of obedience in some particular from you, but it seems so very unreasonable and impolite. Has Jesus ever put you in such a spot?

Notice the choice:

There were two boats that were on the shore. Jesus could have got into any one of them. He CHOSE to get into Simon’s boat. He could have very well got into the boat that belonged to James and John, but He didn’t. Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus required you to take a step of obedience, but somehow you felt it did not apply to those around you? You do not understand why the compelling voice inside of you to “put out your boat” apparently does not seem to be compelling other people. Have you ever used that as an excuse to delay or reject your obedience to God?

Notice the inconvenience # 1 (past)

Simon had already drawn his boat ashore after working the whole night. It was a job that was already completed. One of the most frustrating things in life is for someone to cause you to undo a work that is already done. If Simon were to put out the boat a little into the sea, he would have to row it back to the shore all over again! His step of obedience implied inconvenience to his past. Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus has required you to take a step of obedience and its implication would mean inconvenience to something that already exists? Maybe it would inconvenience a relationship. Maybe it would it would inconvenience your ego, reputation or status. Have you been delaying or rejecting God’s command because it would inconvenience your past?

Notice the inconvenience # 2 (present)

Simon was working on cleaning his fishing net when the requirement to obey came. If he were to put out his boat a little away from the shore, that would mean an interruption to his work. His step of obedience implied inconvenience to his present. Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus has required you to take a step of obedience and its implication would mean inconvenience to something in the present? Maybe it would inconvenience your current activities or relationships. Maybe a habit. Maybe it would inconvenience the time you spend on some venture. You started off on something and you would really like to complete it, but obeying God would mean halting what you started. Have you been delaying or rejecting God’s command because it would inconvenience your present?

Notice the inconvenience # 3 (future)

Simon had worked all night and was now cleaning his fishing nets. If at all he had planned to go home and catch up on some sleep or do anything else for that matter, he could forget about it now. He had to get back to cleaning the nets once Jesus was done teaching. He had to guide his boat back on the shore too. If Simon were to obey Jesus, it would imply that anything he had planned to do as soon as he was done with cleaning the nets would be jeopardized. His step of obedience implied inconvenience to his future. Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus has required you to take a step of obedience and its implication would mean inconvenience to something in the future? Maybe a future relationship. Maybe a future opportunity. Maybe a future plan. Have you been delaying or rejecting God’s command because it would inconvenience your future?

Now after Jesus finished teaching, he tells Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” He did so and caught so many fish that John and James had to be called over to help him haul it into the boat – and they were all amazed. Now when Jesus wanted to teach the crowd, he told Simon to put his boat out a “LITTLE” from the shore. However when Jesus wanted Simon to cast the net, he told Simon to put his boat out “DEEP” into the sea. In other words, for Simon to reach the “DEEP” he didn’t have to start from the shore, but a “LITTLE” away from the shore. Why? Because the boat was already a “LITTLE” away from the shore! Pushing the boat from the shore out into the waters often requires more strain than rowing the boat when it is already on the water. Half the work had already been done due to a previous “inconvenience!” When God seems to “inconvenience” you on matters of obedience, it is often His way to make it “convenient” for you to receive your blessing!

Listen to God’s response to Israel’s disobedience recorded by the prophet Jeremiah: “For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.” (Jeremiah 7: 22, 23) Listen to that! “…walk only in the way I command you, so that it may be with you.” The reason why God wanted Israel to obey was so that it would be “well with them.”

When Simon obeyed Jesus in spite of the “inconvenience”

1. He became a channel of blessing for the crowd at large i.e. His boat became a pulpit for Jesus to teach the crowd

2. He became a channel of blessing to those around him i.e. James and John were not only blessed with fish, but they became disciples of Jesus

3. He received his fish, but more importantly got a call into the service of the Almighty – “…from now on you’ll be catching people.”

God blessed Simon’s past i.e. he failed to catch fish in the past, but now he had plenty. God blessed Simon’s present i.e. the very nets he had to stop cleaning became instruments to haul fish. God blessed Simon’s future i.e. he received a commission to “catch people.” If he hadn’t been willing to accept the “inconvenience” it would have been primarily a loss to the crowd, then a loss to those around him and finally a loss to himself. Every child of God is so universally involved in God’s purposes, that every positive or negative decision, no matter how small, affects not only him, but those around him and the world at large. Whenever I sense God’s “inconveniences” in His commands, I know blessings are just around the corner. Big time!

However one must note that Simon did not obey because he had the prior knowledge of the blessings that would follow nor of his personal loss if he didn't. Simon called Jesus as "Master" indicating that he obeyed because his heart wanted to and not because his mind calculated the losses he would incur if he didn't.

Knowing God through the unknown mountain

Click here to read Genesis 22:1-18

"...I shall show you..." Genesis 22: 2

One fine day, God tells Abraham: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you. (Genesis 22: 2) I want you to notice the last part of that verse. It says Abraham was to offer Isaac as a burnt offering on “one of the mountains” that God “will show” him. God does not tell him which mountain. God does not tell him the name of the mountain. He just says it is “one of the mountains” in the land of Moriah. God does not tell him the size of the mountain. God does not tell him the location in Moriah where the mountain is situated. All God says about the mountain is “ I will show you” where it is.

Often when we receive a call from God; a call to obey in some particular, a call to serve, a call to worship, a call to let go etc, the vision may not be all that clear at first. There are things that God may leave untouched and unaddressed. Whenever the call of God comes, our natural instinct is to react and tell Him that He should be clearer about the call. You wish He would tell you exactly “which mountain.” Many times although we feel a tugging at our hearts to obey the call of God in some particular, we often delay it for the lack of “detail.” Although you know you have to obey, it does not make sense to obey because God has not shown you which “mountain”

So the last part of verse 2 says, “…offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” Verse 3 says “So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him”. Hold on right there! Verse 2 says that God “shall show” him the mountain. Verse 3 says Abraham set out to the place God “had shown him” So when did the “showing” actually happen?? Well it must have happened before he set out from home because it says Abraham “…set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him” How did Abraham know which mountain??

One of the greatest privileges a Christian has is to know God – to know Him, to know His ways. For us to fulfill any vision or call God gives us, we need a revelation of Him and His ways in order to fulfill it. Concerning the ministry of Moses, Psalms 103:7 says, “He made known His ways to Moses…” Once you come into a relationship with God, your greatest priority should be that you might know Him. Paul considered this top priority: “…whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul was willing to consider all things in life “rubbish” when compared to the value of knowing Jesus.

So between Genesis 22:2 (…I shall show you…) and Genesis 22:3(…God had shown him…), the revelation of God comes to Abraham. He heard the call of God, he made up his mind to obey, he went to bed that night, he rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. We do not know the exact time as to when the revelation came. But we do know it came at a time when Abraham decided to obey and consequently acted on it. We can never tell when the revelation of God will come through. We can never tell when God will reveal His word to us. We can never tell when He will chose to “make known His ways” to us. But we can make up our mind to obey and the revelation is sure to come.

The key to all revelation of God, the key to knowing Him, the key to understanding His ways, the key to comprehending His Word, is by obedience alone and nothing else. There is no short cut to it and there is no way you can buy it. John the disciple in his first letter best describes it: “Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments.” (1 John 2:3) Think about that! There is only one sure way to know that you know Him. i.e. if you obey Him.

Why is it so important to know Him, to know His ways, to know His word? The Bible says in Genesis 22: 9 “When they came to the place that God had shown him…” In other words, when he obeyed the call of God to go the mountain God had “shown him”, he put Isaac on the altar and was ready to kill him. Then Abraham heard from heaven again “Abraham, Abraham…” The more you walk in obedience to the revelation God gives you, the more God will reveal Himself to you. Abraham looks up and sees a ram caught in the thickets and sacrifices it. Abraham named that place “Jehovah Jireh”!! Genesis 22:14: “So Abraham called that place, “Jehovah Jireh” (The Lord will provide), as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided”

Think of that for a moment! As it is said to this day!! Even to this day! On the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided! If Abraham had never obeyed the call of God, he would have never got to this mountain. He would have never had a revelation of Jehovah as “Jehovah Jireh”. That is why it is important to know Him through obedience. If you are obedient to Him, you will know Him. If you know Him, he will reveal Himself as your provider. One principle every Christian should learn by heart is 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Everything needed for life! For life!!! Everything needed for godliness!! Everything!!! How?? Through the knowledge of Him!!! Everything, everything we need for life comes through the knowledge of Him. It is up to you to decide how important it is to make “knowing Him” your first priority in life.

Only a man, who obeys God, can know Him through revelation and only a man, who knows Him, can continue obeying Him. And through the knowledge of Him, everything for life and godliness is yours by His divine power. It says Abraham worshiped on that mountain. This is what true worship is all about. “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”(John 17:3) This is what eternal life is all about. Make the decision to go to the mountain unknown; you never know what God will reveal to you there.