Total Commitment

Luke 5:3-5 - And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to push out a little
way from the land. And he sat down and began teaching the multitudes from the boat. 4And when
He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for
a catch." 5And Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but
at your bidding I will let down the nets."
Read the whole account in Luke 5:1-11.

We say that we are committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. How committed? Total commitment means
that Jesus Christ is Lord in every area of our lives. He must be Lord on Saturday night as well as
Sunday morning. He must be Lord of our bodies as well as our brains. He must be Lord of what we
save as well as what we sacrifice. He must be Lord of our careers as well as our creed.

At the beginning of Luke 5, we see that Peter is on the beach washing his fishing nets. When we
come to verse 11 we see that Peter has left his boat, his nets, and everything to follow the Lord. The
miracle of the great catch of fish has resulted in a miracle in the life of Peter. The steps toward total
commitment which we see here in the case of Peter are steps that growing Christians must
take as well.

The first step is "getting involved." Getting Involve means “To establish an association,
typically work related, with something or some organization”. There should be willingness
and it should be voluntary. Peter is willing to let Jesus use his boat. Subalit sino ba si Pedro bago
sya maging alagad ng Panginoong Jesus.
Luke 4:38 would indicate that Peter already knew the Lord at this time, but until now he has been
content just to hear the Word of God while continuing his normal way of living (verses 1 and 2).
What a picture of a lot of Christians! Know the Lord? Yes! Willing to listen to the Word of God?
Yes! But not much change in lifestyle. "Washing nets" for a bigger catch! Just barely within the
hearing distance of the Lord.

But in Verse 3, Peter takes a step in the right direction. He turns his boat over to the Lord.
Ipinagamit nya kay Jesus ang kanyang Bangka. We too must be willing to turn over what we own to
the Lord for His use. Sa buhay natin maraming tayong BANGKA na pwdeng iturn over o ipagamit sa
Panginoon. We own things. We own time. We own talent. Are we willing to turn over our homes to
the Lord ? CAR?
Are we willing to make time available for the Lord's use? What about that student in need of love
who keeps disrupting schedules and draining away precious study time? Kung ikaw nman ay
ngtatrabaho, magagawa mo b mgbigay ng oras at panahon sa Lord sa kbila ng sweldo o overtime.
Sasabihin mo sayang kc yung overtime. Sayang yung sweldo kpg Linggo. Ang punto po dito ay hindi
masama ang umunlad, magtrabaho subalit kung ipinapagpalit na po natin ang Lord sa trabaho natin,
may problema po tau doon.
Are we willing to invest our abilities and talents and gifts, or should we go on "hoarding" them? Is
my athletic ability, for example, available in some way for the Lord to use, or do I use it only to bring
glory to myself? It is hypocrisy to speak of total commitment to the Lord when we are not
willing to turn over our "boats" to Him. Get involve.

The next step the Lord wants us to learn about total commitment is, "...push out a little" (verse 3).
It is one thing to take what we own and make it available for the Lord's use, but it is another thing to
step out a little by faith from the "security of the land." We have to step out of our comfort zone.
Let us not only open our room or home for a Bible study, but let us actually start one! Let us
not only make our weekends available for the Lord, but let us actually teach a Sunday School
class. Hindi sapat na umaattend lng, dpat naisin din na magturo. Let us not only give of our
small savings for the spread of the good news, but let us actually verbalize the gospel! ! Hindi dapat
na lagi lng tau tagapakinig ng salita ng Diyos, dapat maging preacher din ang bawat isa. Yes, it
takes faith and courage (pushing out!!  There is risk and sacrifice involved, but that's what pushing
out from land is all about.

The Lord Jesus does not force Peter; He asks him (verse 3). The Lord could have simply walked out
on the water without the use of any boat. But He doesn't. He wants Peter to get "a piece of the
action." He chooses to teach people out of Peter's boat. God would teach us here that He
delights to use us for His glory if we just step out a little bit by faith. But we love the security of
the land. We are reluctant to move away from shore. How can we talk about total commitment to
Jesus Christ if we are not willing to "push out a little"? push out a little.

There's another step toward total commitment in verse 4. Peter is told to "launch into the deep."
Here is total dependence on the Lord. No more land or shallow water! It is here where commitment
is no longer a sideline. In many ways, it is the point of no return. My education and career are no
longer planned with the comfort of "solid ground" in view. My field of work and study are determined
by God's will for my life.
It is no longer a question of what field will give me the greatest return, security, peace, or chance for
advancement in this world. It is now a matter of my education, my "career," my choice of life partner,
my all being subject to the Lordship of Christ. Am I still playing at token efforts in the shallow water
of Christian commitment, or have I "launched out into the deep"?
It is in the deep that we experience the Lord's power. We learn that He really does provide in a
miraculous way for the very needs that may have held us back from total commitment! We may
"work all night" to make it in this life and still "catch nothing" (verse 5). But the person who is totally
committed to the Lord does not "sweat" the needs of this life. He knows that if he seeks first the
Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these things will be provided. (See Matthew 6:33).
It is in the deep that we learn to worship. Jesus is no longer just "a Friend invited into my life." He is
God! When Peter experienced the Lord's power in the deep, he was not only amazed (verse 9), but
fell down before Jesus and confessed, "I am a sinful man, O Lord." The more committed we are to
Jesus Christ, the more we are aware of our sinfulness and His holiness. What a blessing to know
that the Lord Jesus does not depart from us, but comforts us and transforms us. "Don't be afraid,
from now on you will be catching men" (verse 10).
Peter had reached the point of no return. He left everything and followed his Lord. Yes, there were
failures yet to come in Peter's life. Total commitment does not mean perfection. It's a matter of
taking self off every throne of life and enthroning Christ. How committed are you to Jesus Christ?
Have you "pushed out a little"? Have you "launched out into the deep"? Or are you still hung up on
the beach? Total commitment means Jesus Christ is Lord of all.