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Spurgeon on Spiritual Law in the Natural Realm.

In a previous article entitled "Spiritual Law in the Natural Realm," I tried to point out that Christ has given spiritual tasks to Christians which to natural human minds seem impossible to accomplish. I cited Christ's Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21) as a lesson Christ gave His disciples in how to go about the accomplishment of such tasks requiring His help from the spiritual realm. One such task which Christ gave to Christians of our age is the preaching of His gospel to "all creation." (Mark 16:15).

Today I found this same lesson, taught by Jesus to His disciples in Luke 5:1-11, brought out clearly and beautifully in one of the Devotionals of Charles Spurgeon, a foremost English preacher of the 19th century. I quote this Devotional writing for you here. F. M. Perry.

The following is taken from Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Devotional for the Morning of October 8:

• "Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught." (Luke 5:4, KJV)
  
  We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless he is glorified; but he hath himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which he is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. "Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing." What was the reason of this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil unskilfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus? "Without him we can do nothing." But with Christ we can do all things. Christ's presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter's boat, and his will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church's power-the shout of a king is in the midst of her. "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." Let us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for he who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.