Father, it has been a more laid-back kind of day and those kinds of days can surely be beneficial. As I have been working through some marital counseling, I would ask that I have good retention and when I do have the opportunity to apply it may it be of great benefit to those with whom I share it. Amen.

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My in-laws upon their retirement several years back immersed themselves into a hobby they both enjoyed immensely – fishing! They purchased a modest but nice home on Lake Erie, as well as, a solid dependable boat. As a family, we have many great memories of time spent at and on the lake.
While many on the lake pursued Walleye, their fish of choice was Lake Erie Perch. One thing they were very particular about was how they cleaned them. Each fish was carefully fileted so as to keep as much of the meat intact as possible. It was rare to find a bone in the filets and always…always…they removed the skin. They wanted nothing to do with “fishy tasting” fish. And over the years, with the literally 1000s of fish they caught, they became very adept at fileting.
In the Gospels, Peter and Andrew were fishermen by trade and when Jesus called them to follow Him, “…He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 (NASB)
What got me thinking about all of this is when a friend shared that they felt they were not up to par in regards to going to church. They (like all of us – myself very much included) are nowhere near perfect. We do things we know are detrimental to our relationship with Jesus – some of which are black-and-white wrong per His Word, the Bible. Other times things we feel bad about are what so many others over the years have labeled as “wicked”, as my mom used to say years ago. Other things are just apart of life that all of us struggle with – what we say, how we say what we say, difficulties in our relationships…and the list goes on.
When it comes to being fishers of men, many have heard the phrase, “You catch ‘em, He’ll clean ‘em.”
That applies to bringing people to Jesus so that they may find salvation and leaving the cleaning up of their lives to Him. We have no business burdening them with our list of dos and don’ts. And it also applies to ourselves. We do not have to be all spit-and-polish to come into his presence, no matter what anyone says. Our loving Savior accepts us right where we are. If we wait to get to the point where we are “good enough” to be with Him, we will never get there.
I admit right here, for all the world to see, I am still very much a work in progress. I try very hard to be what I know Jesus wants me to be. Sometimes I succeed…and sometimes I do not. Does He love me any less? No, He loves me regardless. Its called mercy. Its called grace. And His supply of those attributes is unfathomable! We will never, ever drain the well dry!
Lord Jesus, help us all today to continue to diligently strive to achieve your heart’s desire for us but may we not get so discouraged that we give up. May we find Your strength and determination to always be moving forward and when we do fall down, may we eagerly take Your hand once more as You lift us to our feet. Amen!

Jan 19th, 2020, Sun, 7:50 pm