One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 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.

Extra benefits are great! When we visit a relative and they surprise us with a gift, or we are invited over for dessert, but the host prepares so much more for our enjoyment. I think one of the times this “blow your mind”-type of benefit came into my life was in college. I was paying my way through and working hard, and all of the sudden I got a call from my Uncle John. And he said he was coming up to visit his daughter at school and wanted to take some time with me. We went to a cool fishing spot and had fun catching fish and then he took me to a Seattle Seahawks game. I knew my uncle loved me, but I did not expect these blessings. He had his own life and set of priorities. But he specifically took a break from his life priorities and made blessing me a priority. It really encouraged me at the time and was a real blessing.

When I think of Simon Peter here, listening to Jesus — he did not know the extra blessing he was about to receive. He merely loaned him his boat to preach out of. But Jesus stepped away from his fame and fortune, from speaking to the masses, and he focused on blessing Simon. And he did this in an incredible way. Have you ever felt that you have been working so hard for so long and not seeing the results? Simon did here. But with one miracle, Jesus met all of his needs for a long time. He made gobs of fish appear when there was no fish.

What are the benefits of joining Jesus in his work? When we help Jesus, he helps us more. Not always how we expect him to, but always more than we could imagine. And now, fishing for fish didn’t seem to be the most important thing anymore. Jesus was.

Lord, thank you for the extra blessings you always give me. Please help me to continue to join you in your work frequently. I want all the extra benefits I can get in following you!