Without Me You Can Do Nothing

March 22

"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.'
They said to him, 'We are going with you also.'
They went out and immediately got into the boat,
and that night they caught nothing."
John 21:3

These disciples of Jesus were fishermen. They knew the waters well, this was their area of expertise, but for all their labor, they hadn't caught anything.

Are you walking in the area of expertise God has prepared you for? Are you doing everything you know how to do, but without a lot of success?

Then Jesus came along:

vs 6:
"And he said to them,
'Cast the net on the right side of the boat,
and you will find some.' So they cast,
and now they were not able to draw it in
because of the multitude of fish."

God has placed within each believer all the gifts and talents he needs to be successful - but that success depends on the Lord. You can work to exhaustion and reap little for all your labor. They worked all night and caught nothing. But when the Lord came, he directed them to do what WILL succeed and having done it, the results were so great that they could hardly contain it.

"He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit,
for without me you can do nothing."
John 15:5

"...without me you can do nothing..."

The pride of man motivates him to plug on and on believing that the harder he works the more he'll produce. But he misses the key: "Without me you can do ...NOTHING."

The Lord who put within you the gifts and talents you have - is the only one who can guide you into success in using them. Wait on him for instructions, then the net will be so heavy that you'll hardly be able to bring it in.