by Tim Hall

"Who does this fellow think he is? After all, I'm the one who has been fishing these waters for all these years. What is he? A carpenter? What does he know about catching fish? Besides, I've been out all night, and I can tell you the fish just aren't to be found!" Such thoughts were probably going through the mind of Peter when Jesus told this hapless fisherman to "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). When Peter put the Lord to the test, he discovered that the Carpenter knew a great deal about catching fish.

I suspect Jesus would tell us the same thing. He sees us rushing, sweating, fretting and gasping for air, all without having found the big catch that keeps driving us. "Launch out into the deep," He would say. And I'm confident we would realize similar results as Peter - the largest catch of his fishing career.

Too many Christians are wading in the shallow waters of religion. It's commendable that they have decided to get in at all; so many in our society don't even make the attempt. But some Christians have just enough "religion" to make them miserable. They know what God expects, but they've not yet made the commitment to fully follow Him. They feel guilty for not doing more than they've done, for not developing more as a Christian.

It's time to stand back and evaluate: How have I done? Am I nearer to the Lord than I was this time last year? Have I become more regular in my study of His word and in prayer? How many times must I look back over my past with regrets?

Let us determine now that we will launch out into the deep. We are going to get serious about our Bible study and prayer habits. We will become more involved in helping others and in serving Christ. We will look for opportunities to encourage others with visits, notes and telephone calls.

There is joy in serving the Lord! But that joy does not begin to be felt until we've waded out into the waters of spirituality that are deep. Then, when our toes can no longer feel the bottom, we will learn to rely more fully on God's help than ever before. There, in the deeper waters, we will discover what it really means to be a disciple of Christ!