LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, September 4, 2025
I meet you in your weariness, and if you trust Me, I will fill your emptiness and send you on mission.
LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, September 4, 2025
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
SUBSCRIBE FREE: LiveITToday.us
GOD'S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I meet you in your weariness, and if you trust Me, I will fill your emptiness and send you on mission.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Luke 5:1-11
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Into the Deep with Jesus
Simon’s nets were empty. After a long, exhausting night of labor, there was nothing to show for it. That is precisely the moment Jesus steps in—not at the height of Simon’s strength, but at the low point of his weakness. What follows is not just a miracle of fish, but a revelation of what it means to trust Christ beyond logic, beyond exhaustion, beyond ourselves.
When Jesus tells Simon to “put out into the deep,” the Greek word bathos is used—a word that implies not just physical depth but mystery, even danger. Fishermen knew that deep waters were unpredictable. Yet Simon obeys. His words—“at your command I will lower the nets”—show the fragile beginning of faith: trust that outweighs experience.
The result? An overwhelming abundance. So many fish that the nets tear, the boats sink, and astonishment grips everyone. But notice: the true miracle is not the fish. It is Simon’s transformation. Confronted with Jesus’ power, he falls to his knees in humility: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” In that moment of unworthiness, Jesus calls him anyway. Grace does not wait for perfection—it calls in the midst of weakness.
This is the Gospel’s rhythm. Jesus steps into our emptiness, stretches us into the deep, overwhelms us with His abundance, and then calls us to mission. “From now on you will be catching men.” The nets of Simon’s life are repurposed for eternity.
Parents, this is our story, too. We know the exhaustion of “empty nets”—days when work feels fruitless, when family life feels like endless struggle. But Jesus asks us, too, to trust Him in the deep: to pray even when we’re tired, to lead even when we feel inadequate, to love even when we feel empty. That act of obedience becomes the opening for God’s abundance.
Our homes can become places where children learn this trust firsthand. They need to see us put Jesus first when it makes no sense, to see us humble ourselves, and to hear us pray over them by name—calling them into the deep with Christ. That is where disciples are made. That is where families are transformed.
“The obedience of faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God” (CCC 144).
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Empty Nets: Where am I weary from laboring with little fruit, and how is Jesus asking me to trust Him there?
Going Deep: What “deep waters” of risk or surrender is Christ calling me or my family into right now?
Mission Forward: How can I help my children see our family life not as survival, but as a mission field for Christ?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, each person name one area where they feel weary or “empty-netted.”
Then pray over each person by name:
“Lord Jesus, step into [Name]’s boat today. In every place of emptiness, pour out Your abundance. Silence every lie of the Enemy. Strengthen them with courage, fill them with joy, and call them deeper into Your mission of love.”
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
ENTER THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME: LifeTimeRide.com
Listen to the moving song, Ride Of A Lifetime:
Spotify | Apple | Other
THIS MONTH'S LIVE IT TODAY is made possible by the generosity of Jeff Barefoot
Ressourcement | 114 W. Third St., Perrysburg, OH 43551 | (419) 874-9300
WE WANT TO PRAY FOR YOU!
Please share your prayer intentions in the comments at LiveITToday.us