“Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, Jesus asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.” (Luke 5:3)
Even though the Apostle Peter was a brash leader in his initial years of following Jesus, Peter still had a character trait we would do well to emulate.
That Peter was brash in his early years is well documented. He is infamous for his failed attempt to walk on water (Matthew 14:28-33) as well as receiving a startling and sharp rebuke from Jesus (Mark 8:31-33).
There was another side to Peter. In Luke chapter 5 Jesus is teaching a huge crowd of people by a lake. Our Lord decides to turn the shoreline into an amphitheater, so He looks for a boat to set out a little way from the shore.
Peter (also called Simon) loans the boat he is using to Jesus. Even though it’s the end of a long workday, Peter is willing and available to assist Jesus. After completing His teaching, Jesus recruits Peter as a disciple through a miracle (Luke 5:4-11).
It is Peter’s willingness to be available for Jesus that is a positive trait for Christians. This is especially true in this day and age when every waking moment is seemingly filled with one activity or another. It takes discipline to leave breathing room in our days and nights.
Yet it’s in those spaces where we are available for the good works which God has “prepared beforehand” for us (Ephesians 2:10). In those spaces we are available to serve as “ambassadors for Christ” in word or deed (1 Corinthians 5:20). It is this availability that might give room for us to show hospitality to one another, one of a number of ways to bless fellow believers (Romans 12:9-13).
Being willing and available remains a godly trait for Christians.
(A Second Look devotions were written for the congregations of the Ohio District-LCMS.)
Kevin Wilson 360 