Some of the terms I’ve heard/read to describe the Apostle Peter are, impetuous, hot-headed, flew off the handle . . . Maybe you’ve heard similar ones. Scripture sure seems to confirm those badges realistically, and not always in a flattering light.

However, when we look into God’s Word a little deeper, describing Peter’s calling to follow Jesus, we get a different picture of Peter.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, sir, please leave us—I’m too much of a sinner for you to have around.” For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as were the others with him, and his partners too—James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus replied, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for the souls of men!”

And as soon as they landed, they left everything and went with him.

Luke 5:8-11 TLB

Do you think Jesus knew the timeline of His ministry from the very beginning, Dear Reader? I’ve often wondered. Judging from Luke’s account of Jesus’s calling of His first disiples, it sounds like Jesus knew He was on a tight schedule.

Recruitment was pretty straight forward. This guy probably could have taken some pointers from Jesus.

He rolled recruitment, team-building, training, and “signing on the dotted line” into seemingly a very short time.

When we delve into Luke’s description of this divine appointment, it looks like God crafted Peter from the same playbook as He did John the Baptist.

If we back up a few verses, we see that when Jesus got into Peter’s boat, Peter was obedient to Jesus’s direction to push off from shore. When Jesus told Peter to toss out his nets, Peter initially hesitated, but quickly changed his tune.

When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”

Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Luke 5:4-5 msg

May I ask you, Dear Reader, did you get a bonus your first day on the job? Amazon touts benefits starting on the very first day, but Jesus skipped over that perk, and went straight to the signing bonus. I believe Jesus knew a signing bonus for the men who would become His “inner circle,” was needed. Their bonuses came in the form of “a huge haul of fish” to provide for their families.

We don’t know if Peter had personally heard, or heard of, Jesus prior his calling in the boat. Jesus had been preaching nearby. Maybe Peter, his brother, or fishing partners had heard John the Baptist preach. No matter, their actions by the lake that day showed their hearts to be ready for a Savior.

In that life-changing moment, I think Peter demonstrated humility (through repentance), obedience (through pushing out into the water and recasting his nets), and passion (in his exuberance to follow Jesus) . . . H.O.P.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrated the traits of humility, obedience, passion in His relationship to His (and our) Heavenly Father. Perhaps, for those seeking to follow Jesus, and live according to His will for their lives, a good place to start, like Peter, is by fostering the same qualities.

What do you say, Dear Reader? Shall we “H.O.P.” to it, in Jesus’s name?