Let's go deep and let down
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Let's go out into the deep and let down our nets (Luke 5:1-11)
Among the words of [Zhengzi], there is a saying, “One day three provinces”. It means to reflect on yourself three times a day. However, if you think more deeply about these words, it has a stronger meaning of reflecting on three things every day. Among the three reflections, the first reflection is <whether I have acted while thinking of others>. Most people are egocentric in thinking, speaking, or acting, thinking of their own interests, and putting their own feelings first. But what I am doing is that I look back and reflect on myself every day. The second is to reflect on <Have you ever betrayed your trust in your relationship with your friends?>. As I have said again and again, friendship among human relationships is a relationship established by faith. But I always reflect on whether or not I have betrayed that trust in the first place without giving me faith, which is the basis of human relationships. And third, I reflect on <I didn't learn, so I didn't teach others without knowing it?>. I reflect on whether I am living with the hypocrisy of pretending to know without knowing.
The meaning of living by reflecting on these three things every day is “one day three prominences”. Wouldn't it be great if you could only live like this? However, we always make mistakes and fail.
There is a belief among Westerners that a good character is built up by being good at two things. What do those two words mean? “Thank you!” and "I'm sorry!" How many words do you say “thank you” in a day? And one of the things we can't tolerate is, "I was wrong. I’m sorry.” What this means is that you are not good at accepting situations as reality. I need to be able to admit my situation, my situation, and my mistakes, but in our traditional yangban culture, when I say I'm sorry, I somehow feel that my existence is humbled. After you apologize, you feel disappointed and depressed, as if you were a failure in life. But, gentlemen, this is not even religiously correct. God values us the most when we admit our mistakes and repent.
So Peter, who had been fishing all night in vain, came back thinking that he would rest until the next swarm of fish came from that time. Then Jesus comes and says, “Go out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” It's a bit of an absurd situation, but the story is that after putting everything aside and obeying Peter, the result is an experience of catching great fish.
Why is Peter doing this? Until now, I did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Above all, I thought that I was confident enough to brag about my ability to catch fish. So I was like, 'I'll try to do what you tell me to do, but I can't get it 100%. Do you think I am a fisherman for nothing?’ It seems to have been on the inside of my mind. Looking at the results, it seems that was enough. But this is broken. This unbelief and pride are being completely destroyed before Jesus.
Please think carefully. The deeper you go into the egocentric life, the more you experience there is nothing but the emptiness of “You have worked all night and you have caught nothing.” If we reject the voice that then points to another depth and tells us to go there and lower our nets, nothing will change in our lives. But obedience will fill you with much better things than you have toiled all night in that moment. A new world will open up.
Each person has their own unique way of living. An intelligent person lives all night in the social sciences systems such as psychology, philosophy, sociology, economics, and law, struggling for something. Religious people live zealously by immersing themselves in a life of godliness based on their own righteousness. People with a strong sense of ethics try to realize themselves through a thoroughly ethical life. Some people work all night to earn money. Some of you will have to work all night, relying on your children. Some people play games all night, gamble... Even if they do, they can make a living right now without any problems. But what about the disappointment of losing hope? There is no vital fruit of something. I work all night for it, but it always feels like I'm returning with an empty stomach without catching anything.
Now, until last year 2009, if our lives have experienced a life where we have worked all night and caught nothing, now 2010 should be the year we go to the depths and lower our nets to catch fish.
Everyone! The resignation of yesterday's unbelief, pride, and failure is no longer ours. Now we must hear the voice of the Lord. And it should be a faith that obeys immediately. Only then can we obtain spiritual riches in which the net is torn.
Please believe that the Lord's voice that is given today, <Go out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch> is the Lord's voice to you personally.