Luke 5:11 (NLT)
They left everything and followed Jesus.
The Apostles not only left their families, businesses, and properties behind, but they also left their old way of life. Until then, these were self-reliant men whose hands supplied their needs. Their professions fed their families while their communities sustained them emotionally and spiritually. But here comes a gentle Nazarene who tells them to leave all that and depend solely on Him, on God, from that point on. The first question any sane human would ask would be, "Follow you where and to do what?" But there was something about the Lord Jesus Christ that was irresistible to the disciples. First, they witnessed Him perform a miracle by helping them catch fish (Luke 5:4-7). Second, Christ was exuding the Presence of God to such an extent that Peter was ashamed of his sinfulness (Luke 5:8).
When a man stands in the Presence of Perfection and realizes how filthy he is, he has two choices. He can reject that perfection and continue being filthy, or he can bow down to that perfection and repent of his sins. The Apostle Peter chose the latter. From that moment on, Peter was no longer the sinful fisherman. He left behind his old life to become the Apostle of Christ (Luke 5:10).
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