If you’ve been around Bible stories a long time, you know that the colorful images of the Sunday school flannelgraph can fade over time. Instead of reading the Bible with wonder, we tend to gloss over the words, yawn, and flip the page.
Somewhere between the flannelgraph and my grown-up Bible I’d come to understand the gospel as a transaction that depended on me. Work hard for God, and He will work for you. It was “okay news,” but not the “wonderful extra good news” that we sang about in Sunday school. I worried I wasn’t working hard enough to earn and deserve God’s care and intervention.
I was in the throes of a demanding season of parenting our three sons and two sweet girls who were entrusted to us through the ministry of foster care. Sprinting towards the next parenting event, I strove to stay ahead of the needs of five little humans. When my prayers for a smooth day or well-behaved children went unanswered, I figured I hadn’t worked hard enough to deserve it.
Rifling through the pages of my Bible for a quick shot of Scripture to propel me toward the next parenting emergency, I stumbled over a story so familiar, I didn’t even know why I gave it a second glance.
It was the story of Peter’s great catch of fish. I’d seen it on the flannelgraph. I’d taught the story in Sunday school. I’d even made blue Jell-O served with goldfish crackers to cement the story in the minds of my students.
But here I was, all tangled up in Peter’s nets, watching him work hard. He showed up for his job when and where he was supposed to. He worked all night. And in the morning, he had nothing to show for his work but ripped nets and a morning filled with fixing them.
I felt sorry for Peter. I’d been showing up and working hard too, and yet, I was surrounded by evidence of my failures — my impatience, irritation, and exhaustion. I was so disappointed with myself, I figured God was disappointed with me too.
But as I read the story again, Jesus didn’t seem disappointed with Peter.
He stepped into Peter’s boat at the wrong time of day for catching fish. While Peter was busy fixing the necessary tools for his job, Jesus inconvenienced him by asking him to row to deeper water. And somewhere in the deep water where the fishing had been bad, Jesus told Peter to throw his recently repaired nets into the sea.
You know the rest.
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. (Luke 5:5-7)
In his boat sinking under the weight of what he had not worked for, Peter knelt in a pile of quivering fins and scales to worship. Jesus did for Peter what Peter couldn’t do for himself, even though he’d worked hard.
To me it was a picture of God’s larger message of the gospel.
We may show up and work hard to prove, earn, and deserve God’s grace. But hard and holy service is not a prerequisite for receiving God’s grace.
It’s not our work that earns the abundance of God’s grace.
Jesus did that work. Grace is His to lavish in extravagant doses on those who recognize they’re unable to earn it. When we realize it doesn’t depend on our work, the gospel becomes extremely good news.
It makes following Jesus a no-brainer and a joy, just like it was for Peter. And like Peter, we may find ourselves following Him into hard and holy service to God. Not to earn grace, but because we’ve already received so much of it.
Leave a Comment
Alanna Jantzi says
Such a beautiful reminder this morning! Thank you!
Shauna Letellier says
Thanks for reading, Alanna! I need the reminder regularly 🙂
Michele Morin says
Service puts the gospel on display in ways we are not even “in control” of when the offering is an overflow of gratitude and love for the One who first served us. Thanks, Shauna, for this good news!
Shauna Letellier says
Totally agree, Michelle. It’s the irrepressible overflow of having been served by Christ! What a relief 🙂
Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Shauna,
What a beautiful message with which to start my day! Having been a striver, earner, work hard for God’s grace kind of gal, I’ve learned, like you so thankfully pointed out, that God’s grace doesn’t work that way. He not only gives it, He LAVISHES it upon us – not for anything we’ve done, but because of His great love. Another word I’ve learned to erase from my vocabulary is “disappointment”. No where in the Bible does it say that we disappoint God. I’ve looked….it’s just not there. Another fallacy. God is never disappointed in us because He sees us through the blood of His Son Jesus who died for us. He will discipline us to keep us on track of becoming more like the image of Jesus, but disappointed?? No way. I love how like Peter, when we are exhausted and at the end of ourselves for trying so hard, Jesus shows up and gives us grace that we did not earn. Thanks for making this message come alive…..(I, too, remember yawning through the days of the felt board depiction of this story lol)
Blessings,
Bev xx
Shauna Letellier says
Oh Bev 🙂 I’m right there with ya! Love that he LAVISHES!! He’s not stingy with His grace, is he? 🙂
Maria says
I love this! Sometimes our circumstances bring us to the “old and almost too familiar” stories with fresh new eyes for our dry lives and tired souls! I so needed this today! And I know some others that do too so I will share with them! Funniest thing of all is my husband went fishing yesterday and caught nothing! I just know there is a boatload coming though!
Shauna Letellier says
I love it when God uses the “old” stories to teach us in new ways 🙂 He’s so gracious. Sorry your husband got “skunked” 😉 Hope he enjoyed his trip anyway!
Mary says
This humbles me and reminds me again that it’s not about me. Thank you for mining this treasure from the Word. And, I also love Bev’s comment above that God is never disappointed in us because He sees us “through the blood of Jesus”! Hallelujah, oh, what a Savior!!
Shauna Letellier says
Exactly… another reason we call it GOOD news 🙂
Gail Noe says
Love this. This is the same message the Lord has been revealing to me in many ways. Every time I think I can do it OR think I have the power to do it, I fall flat from the pride that deceived me. Only GRACE. I am now getting very excited to see and know what God alone can do, will do and the marvelous way it all turns out. In ALL my weaknesses He is there ready and willing.
Shauna Letellier says
So true, Gail. And in our weakness He is shown to be strong!! He is glorified in our weakness!! 🙂
Jen says
What a great reminder of one important lesson in the Bible that we are all familiar with but you have written in in such a simple yet interesting piece ! Thank you and what a great day to start off a new day !
Jen
Shauna Letellier says
Seems even the over-familiar stories even point to His grace and mercy 🙂 Suppose he planned it that way?
Leigh says
Oh Shauna!! This is so good. And something I do needed to be reminded of today. Thank you for your beautiful words. And hello from Hope*Writers!! ❤️
Shauna Letellier says
Well hello fellow Hope*Writer!! Thanks for saying hi 🙂 I need the reminder too! 🙂
Diana says
Boy, this one hit home today! Now, if I could only find a way to balance my life moving into a new school year! Blessings, Diana
Tina says
That was a great message. Thanks for that!!
Brenda says
It’s easy to confuse grace isn’t it? Easy to forget that the grace is what gets us through rather than grace being the prize for getting through. Thanks for sharing, Shauna. 🙂
Shauna Letellier says
What a great distinction, Brenda. It’s not the prize, it’s the means!! Thanks!!
K Ann Guinn says
Thanks for this beautiful reminder that I don’t need to strive. I can trust God’s grace to see me through when my strength is not enough.
Shauna Letellier says
His strength is magnified in our weakness!! Isn’t he gracious to make a way for us to glorify Him even in our weakness?!
Elizabeth says
Thank you. I read the passage in Luke 5 and was overwhelmed by His grace. Thank you for leading us to the truth of the gospel.
Shauna Letellier says
My pleasure!! I’m glad you read the story. His word is living and active 🙂
Cynthia McGarity says
Love, love, love this and JUST what I needed today! Thank you Shauna! And congratulations on the new book by the way…can’t wait to get my copy! All the best to you and yours…
Shauna Letellier says
So glad, Cynthia!! And thank you!! Hope you enjoy Remarkable Faith!! 🙂
Hannah says
Yes!! What an encouragement today! Thank you!!
Donna Jones says
Love your insight, Shauna! Thanks for a great reminder that God’s grace does’t depend on our hard work. So good!!!
Rebecca L Jones says
I’m so grateful for His grace.
Beth Williams says
Shauna,
Thanks for making Peter’s story come alive. Only a loving God could give us grace-God’s unmerited favor. There are times and days when I feel like a complete failure. I know that is just one of many lies the enemy loves to throw at us. Like Bev said failure/disappointment is not in the Bible. He sees us through Jesus’ shed blood. If we repent of our sins and get baptized then He will love us & put our names in the Book of Life. Great story.
Blessings 🙂
Shauna Letellier says
Want some more good news, Beth? 🙂 Even before we repent and get baptized He loved us! The apostle Paul wrote that “God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). That kind of undeserved, unearned mercy and grace compels us to repent and love Him back 🙂 thanks for your thoughtful comment!
Danielle Bernock says
Thank you. I’d heard that story with the intent on teaching faith but not grace – love it – thank you. His grace is good news indeed!
Jan says
Very helpful piece. Gave me the impetus and idea I needed to write my own facebook post for our church . Thanks.