This forum doesn't allow but 10,000 characters, so I had to take a lot of scriptures off to just even post my first post in this thread, even my apology for not posting but a 10th of which and what. should be posted. so I guess I'm not going to do that this post. Let me try speaking plainly about scripture.
Looking at Peter, you know he has a great beginning in his story, gets a name change to the "Rock". Impressive I'd say, is a witness to all the miracles, gets called "Satan", boasts of devotion, told he would deny Him, that Satan desires to sift him as wheat, cuts an ear off, and after 3 years of following and being discipled... denies Him and flees <<< Peter's personal sufferings. Then Jesus's resurrection and victory over death, and on the third appearance and a boatload of fish again, <<< Peter's choice of course to be fishing along with 6 other disciples, gets asked 3 times and told 3 times, Do you love Me, then feed my sheep. I would say from that point on it appears Peter's living and sufferings were for Christ (and not his own) and nothing but for Christ Jesus. They hear at him Pentecost..., and then being scourged with John by the elders and rejoicing at that, not fleeing, but in full faith even threat and eventual death couldn't shut him up, because without Jesus we can do nothing.
We hear about putting off the old man, being transformed, and stepping in to ( entering ) as a living epistle of Jesus Christ known and read of all men saying the kingdom of God is at hand. Now it says clearly we are complete in Him, even more than conquerors, and even all things are ours. We are asked to as servants ( doers! ) to give freely, as unto God, hoping nothing again even at the cost of our very lives, of which we hear Peter had no issues about, even was crucified upside down with that joy and assurance in Christ Jesus. His yoke is easy and His burden is light in Him by faith we stand in His sufficiency, His righteousness and His kingdom that we enter already given to us when we first believed.
They were all willing to be broken for Him in certainty of their faith which was quickened by the holy Spirit given to all who believe in Him and not themselves or of their own understanding seeking their own, but the things of our Savior Jesus Christ the Lord. Looking back at Peter and the 6 other disciples fishing through out the night catching nothing, and then reaping the bounty of a full net simply by His instruction to find them. Had to have been a "eureka moment" in the instruction of making them fishers of men for all of His sheep He was sending them to gather from the very start of their discipleship.
God will fill our nets just as easily and freely as He did theirs, for He is kind to the unthankful and the evil as well as His own. As believers making up the body of Christ we all have our own
part to participate in His instruction in gathering unto Him, truly giving Him our hearts freely by following and joining unto His love, His peace and His liberty, His rest.
I hope in some way this post will help you a little better, I really don't see that I said much of anything different with scripture in my first post than with my own words in this post. I know I certainly prefer scripture over any opinion of my own.
