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When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus\u2019 knees and said, \u201cGo away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!\u201d\xa0\xa0For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,\xa0and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon\u2019s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon,\xa0\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid;\xa0from now on you will fish for people.\u201d\xa0So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:8-11)

These verses come immediately after Peter and the other fishermen have hauled in a load of fish so large that their boats begin to sink from the weight.\xa0 What is Peter\u2019s first reaction?\xa0 \u201cGo away from me Lord!\u201d\xa0 This is not the first time that Peter has witnessed a miracle of Jesus.\xa0 His mother in law\u2019s fever was healed by Jesus, and he was there for the wedding feast in Cana.\xa0 Peter had likely heard Jesus preaching before this day as well.

In the presence of such Divine Holiness, Peter was astonished, afraid, and convicted. \xa0He could not bear to be in the presence of Jesus because His power and divinity was revealed to Peter in the miraculous catch of fish. This event is similar to that of Isaiah in the vision he received at his commissioning, \u201cWoe to me!\u201d I cried. \u201cI am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty\u201d (Isaiah 6:5).\xa0 When God draws near, those who encounter His Holiness firsthand are convicted and changed.\xa0

When we encounter Jesus through the words of the Bible, through prayer, through acts of justice and service, through submission, confession, and obedience to His Word we are changed.\xa0 When the heart of God grabs hold of our heart, we cannot stay in the same place we have been. \xa0The sovereign hand of God takes our heart and molds it a little bit closer to His own each time we take a step of obedience towards Him.

In Isaiah, a seraph touches a burning coal to his lips and says to him, \u201cSee this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for\u201d (Isaiah 6:7). \xa0In response to Peter\u2019s outward display of humility, fear and trembling before Jesus, Christ commissions Peter telling him not to be afraid. God doesn\u2019t leave us full of sin and alone in our suffering, pushing Him away for fear of offending Him.

Instead, when we recognize the truth of the sin that is within ourselves, God gently takes that burning ember, searing it onto our hearts saying, \u201cDo not fear, from now on you will catch people.\u201d\xa0 There is pain in the process of discipleship, yes.\xa0 That coal in his vision burned into Isaiah\u2019s lips like a cattle iron, searing away his impurities and sins, making atonement for them.\xa0 Like the searing pain that our Lord endured on the cross as He made atonement for our every sin.\xa0

No, following Jesus is not easy.\xa0 He never said it would be.\xa0 \u201cIn this world you will have trouble.\xa0 But take heart! I have overcome the world\u201d (John 16:33). When Jesus calls there is no turning back.\xa0 Not for money or possessions or status or anything else of value in this life.\xa0 Peter became a disciple of Jesus who after Jesus\u2019 ascension boldly proclaimed what he had seen, heard, and learned from Him unto even his own death.\xa0 When we come face to face with the reality of who Jesus is and who we are in Him, we are never the same again, as we are empowered to follow Him.