Jesus Only Wants Sinners

Was that a knock on my door? I was startled. No one appears at my house on our wilderness island in Alaska. I went to the door and opened it cautiously. It was a man who looked vaguely familiar.

“Leslie! It’s you! I was hoping to find you.” He smiled.

“Aaron?” I barely recognized him. It had been five years since I last saw him. Five years ago he lost his son, his marriage, his sobriety, and, it seemed, his faith. He had just disappeared.

We sat for two hours, talking about God, and his great love and forgiveness. We cried. I gave him a Bible as he left.

In such times, I feel like Peter flailing in the miraculous boatload of fish. His joy at the stupendous haul suddenly turned to fear as he caught a glimpse of who Jesus might be—and then horror at his own unworthiness to receive such attention and bounty. “Go away! I am a sinful man!” he cried.

Those terrified words of confession are exactly what qualified him to be a disciple. It’s the same for us. How many times am I slain with the same horror when I’m given gifts and responsibilities I do not deserve and I’m not sure I can fulfill? Yet the very recognition of our sin and our need for Jesus is exactly what qualifies us to serve him. Yes, of course we’re unworthy. Those are the only kind of people Jesus saves.

Leslie Leyland Fields is an Alaskan commercial fisherwoman and award-winning author of several books, including Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus Through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas. Learn more at www.leslieleylandfields.com. This devotional content is adapted from Crossing the Waters, copyright © 2016 by Leslie Leyland Fields. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.