River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-08-28

standing by the
lake, but the fishermen were gone out
Of them, and were washing their nets.
He entered into one, which was ST.
mons, and asked him to thrust out
a little from the shore, and he sat
down and taught the people. 1t was
when he had left off speaking that he
said to Simon, Launch out into the
deep, and let down your nets" Simon
replied that he and his partners had
toiled all night, and had taken moth
ing; but nevertheless" said he 'at
thy word | will let down the net.
And when they had done this, they
inclosed a great multitude of fishes.
so that their nets brake. And then
they beckoned to those who were in
the other boat to come and help
them, and a. a matter of fact both
the boats were so filled with fish that
| they began to sink
The effect on Peter was an over
whelming conviction of his sinful
ness, and he said, Depart from me;
for l am a sinful man, o Lord" Nor
than the others who were with him.
But Jesus comforted him by saying:
Fear not; from henceforth thou
shalt catch men" "And when they
had brought their boats to land, they
forsook all, and followed him."
G) We learn from this charming
incident that Jesus is a good pay
| mactar IJo hOrrowad on an,ntv fish
ing smack, and repaid the owner of 1t
by filling 1t with fish! In one of his
discourses to his disciples ON another
occasion he had said, There Is no
man that hath left house, or brethren,
or sisters, or fathe&. or mother, or
wife, or children, or lands, for my
sake, and the gospels, but he shall
receive an hundredfold now in this
time; And in the world to come
eternal life" In the present instance
he seems to have been showing his
disciples, and showing us as well,
just what he meant by these words,
and giving a demonstration of their
truthfulness.
(2) We learn in the second place
that Jesus is a wise counsellor. He
told these fishermen just where the
fish were. and just where to let down
their nets with the most beneficial
results. We all need advice every
day in our business affairs, our do
mestic affairs, and the countless prob
lens that are coming up continually
in our existence. Some go to clair
voyants, some to palmists and spirit
ualists for such advice, but others
who know him go to the Lord their
God. He has said in the 9th Psalm,
''The steps Of a good man are ordered
by the Lord; . though he fall,
he shall not be utterly cast down"
George Muller, the saint OF Bristol,
England, wrote in the margin of his
Bible beside these verses the words,
"His stops too" In other words, he
had. experienced the fact that the
"stops" Of a good man we're as much
ordered by the Lord as his steps, and
many another saint of God has prov
en- this to be true. Think how both
the steps" and the "stops" of Joseph
were ordered in the land of Egypt,
and later on the steps" and the
stops" OF Daniel in the land Of Baby
lon These are two of the greatest
statesmen the world has even known
and they came to their greatness
through their counselling with God.
CD We learn also that Jesus is
a great benefactor. They who were
simply fishers of fish now became
fishers of men. What would Peter
have amounted to had he remained in
Capernaum? But what did he now
become? Not only is his one OF the
three greatest names in the history
Of the Christian church, and not only
is he now in felicity with his Lord
and Master, but that same Lord and
Master said to him and his fellow
apostles, Eye which have followed
me, in the regeneration when the son
of man shall sit in the throne Of his
glory, We also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, Judging the twelve tribes of
Israel" Is this promise likely to
come true? Yes, just as certainly as
the Bible Is the word Of God, and
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. But
there are corresponding promises for
all who know the true God and his
Son, Jesus Christ, and who serve and
trust him in the life Of faith. He
lifts the beggar from the dunghill to
sit him among princes, an experience
| that has come to many a child OF
God In all the centuries long
But what was the attitude of Pc
ter that brought all this to pass in
his case? The answer is simply.
yieldedness of will. Christ asked him
for his boat and he gave 1t to him; he
told him to launch out into the deep
for a draught and he launched out:
when he was satisfied with the ma.
terial result, he was asked to follow
Jesus, and he left all and followed
| him.
To apply this to ourselves, we are
to remember that the first step in
| the yielding of our will is the accep
lance Of Jesus Christ as our Saviour
and the public confession Of him as
our Lord. This should be definite. in
telIigent and irreversible on our part,
| trusting God to fulfill his word as
written in the Gospel of John, 1:G
and IA.