The Preacher and the Empty Boat 8/24

The Preacher and the Empty Boat

Jesus stood by the Sea of Galilee. A crowd pressed around Him to hear the word of God. Nearby, Simon Peter washed his empty nets after a fruitless night of fishing. Jesus stepped into Simon’s boat. He asked Simon to push out from the shore. That simple, empty boat became a pulpit. Jesus used what was already there.

Jesus did not need a temple or a stage. He used an ordinary tool of a tired man’s trade. He transformed it into a platform for truth. The water carried His voice to the eager crowd. Jesus often begins with what we already possess. He takes our ordinary things and makes them extraordinary for His purpose.

You have something Jesus can use. It might seem as common as a fishing boat. A skill, a voice, a home, or a story. Stop telling God what you do not have. Surrender what you do have to Him. What ordinary thing are you withholding from Jesus today?

“And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.” (Luke 5:1-3)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one ordinary part of your life you can surrender to Him today.

Challenge: Identify one specific skill or resource you possess and write it down as an offering to God.

To listen to the sermon that corresponds with this devotion, click the link: https://www.mbcpb.org/media