You Catch ’em. He’ll Clean ’em!
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.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
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
RECHARGE!
Father, I must admit that at times going through Scripture can be a challenge but I feel that You have been active the last several in opening my eyes to areas of application for Your word. Praise Your Holy Name for loving me so!
Luke 5:16 (<<click to read the passage)
Cell phones are so prevalent in today’s world. For many, it seems to have become a part of our body and if we don’t have it with us, we feel lost and vulnerable. But one thing that is required if we live this way is the need to recharge. Battery life for these devices is limited. So, if we want to continue using them, we must have some means of filling them with power once more.
Public charging stations are becoming more popular. Many up-to-date restaurants are making USB and electric outlets very accessible for the needy, often with accessibility at every table.
But cell phones aren’t the only things that need regular recharging. If we are ardent followers of Jesus, we need to be filled up with power on a consistent basis, as well. We cannot be productive disciples if we are negligent in rejuvenating our spiritual cells. We absolutely must make time in our busy schedules to consistently spend time in intimate interaction with God. Our own reserves are extremely limited. God’s reserves are infinite!
It says in today’s passage that Jesus – Immanuel, God with us – “often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” (NLT) He knew, especially living with the limitations of His humanity, that He needed all the strength, support and guidance He could get from His heavenly Father.
If God incarnate needed to recharge, don’t we need to even more so?
Wouldn’t we consider someone a fool who heads out for a full day of adventures with their cell phone – snapping pictures, seeking out destinations, taking advantage of GPS, texting their companions – but doesn’t prepare in any way to recharge their battery? No cords, no means of gaining power once again. If they don’t want to use their phone for the duration of their excursions then fine but if that isn’t their plan then they are just up a creek without a paddle!
Yet we live our lives in that way day after day after day! Many believers attend worship at least once a week and are recharged but that can only last for so long! Can you go all week with only one full charge on your phone? No way! It’s the same for us spiritually!
The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica (a city in Greece), encouraged believers to be “unceasing and persistent in prayer.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (AMP)
A more common translation of this passage is “pray without ceasing” (NASB). You may be thinking, that’s not possible! Oh, but it is possible! Granted you can’t bow your head and close your eyes every moment of every day but the Bible doesn’t say anything about that being the only way to pray. We can literally pray, anywhere, anytime. God hears us no matter the circumstances and is always there to help, guide…and RECHARGE!
Jan 16th, 2020, Thurs, 8:20 pm
Why Bother?
A very foggy morning for driving, Father, but thank You for Your guiding hand for us all; drivers, parents, and students – no incidents! All praise to You. Amen!
Luke 5:12-15 (<<click to read the passage)
At the very end of last school year elementary school leaders and bus drivers, in an attempt to encourage safe behavior on our buses, came up with an incentive. The bus with the most “thumbs up” runs, with opportunities in the morning and the afternoon, gets to be “Bus of the Month” and students and driver get a pancake breakfast prepared by school administrators.
Striving for safety is a never-ending battle for all of us, but I would have no idea how many times in just one run that I repeat many phrases, “Sit down. Get out of the aisle. Don’t lean over the seat.” And the mantra for most school bus drivers which is visually displayed at the front of the bus and verbally repeated continually, it seems, is, “Seat on seat. Back on back. Feet on the floor. Hands on your lap. Quiet as a mouse.”
You’d think with all the repetition it would sink in…but it doesn’t. Even my middle and high school kids have to be reminded of it all the time. But we continue to say it all, in hopes that it will accomplish the desired ends – safety.
Jesus, in today’s passage, makes a request that he verbalizes but knows beyond any doubt that it will not be adhered to.
When He healed the man with the “advanced case of leprosy” He asked that he “not tell anyone what had happened” but instead to go and fulfill the requirements of the Law before the priests in regards to his healing.
Because of the public revelation of the leper’s healing about Jesus, Luke tells us that “vast crowds” began coming “to hear him preach and to be healed from their diseases.”
Why did Jesus even bother? He knew what was going to happen.
But here’s another question, why does Jesus bother forgiving us? He knows what is going to happen. We are fallible. We are most definitely not perfect. There are some things that don’t tempt us and somethings that rarely tempt us, that we can readily say no to. But other things…oh my! We are hard-pressed to avoid. Temptation surrounds us and we may hold off for a season but… Yielding comes far too easy.
But does that stop Jesus from forgiving us? Not one bit. He continues to do so because He also knows His persistence will accomplish the desired ends.
Many can testify to the fact that though temptation may still be out there that through God’s continuing faithfulness in forgiving us combined with regular time spent with Him, that we little by little begin saying “no” more and more frequently. Because of God’s persistence, we become victorious! His long-suffering becomes the foundation for, as the Apostle Paul proclaims in Romans 8:37. “…we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us].” (AMP) To God be the glory! Amen and amen!
Jan 15th, 2020, Wed, 7:33 pm
To Touch the Untouchable
I would ask today, Father, that You would be my bastion of strength. The holidays are behind me and nothing is before me but my own weaknesses and vices. Physically, mentally, and spiritually I need to move forward and conquer! May I feel your presence close by my side. Amen.
Luke 5:12-13 (<<click to read the passage)
I try to sweep my bus daily. Although kids aren’t supposed to eat on school buses – they do, hidden behind their seats – and inevitably they leave all kinds of trash. They track on dust, dirt, and mud, leaves, and grass clippings. And you would not believe the amount of glitter that I discover on a fairly regular basis sprinkled on seats and floor.
But one of the grossest (at least to me) things I find while sweeping is hair! Now if you just walked down the aisle and casually looked on the floor, you wouldn’t even see any but by the time I sweep from the back to the front of my bus, the end of my broom is a tangled mess of hair – YUCK!
It’s disgusting but I just can’t leave it there, doing so would begin the make the broom unusable. So, I take a paper towel and grab ahold of the wad of hair and usually a majority of it (not all!) comes off and into the trash can it goes.
I would never dream of pulling it off with my bare hand – eeewwww! In my mind that byproduct of my cleaning is abhorrible! It is absolutely untouchable!
But you know what? Jesus didn’t let the untouchable stop Him. He didn’t even hesitate to reach out and touch what everyone else would have run from!
The untouchables of Jesus’ time here on earth were the lepers. My study Bible* does a good job of defining it.
“Leprosy was a feared disease because there was no known cure for it, and some forms of it were highly contagious… Because leprosy destroys the nerve endings, lepers often would unknowingly damage their fingers, toes, and noses. The man with leprosy had an advanced case, so he undoubtedly had lost much bodily tissue. Still, he believed that Jesus could heal him of every trace of the disease. And Jesus did just that, reaching out to touch this untouchable, contagious, man in order to restore him.”
Now I don’t know about you but in my mind’s eye, the tangled mess of hair on the end of my broom is nothing compared to this poor mess of a man that fell before Jesus. But Jesus didn’t even flinch…He just reached out and touched him
And you can guarantee that Jesus didn’t just brush the man with the tips of His fingers. He didn’t stand as far as He could from him and the stretched out His hand to just touch him with the very tip of one extended finger. Can’t you see Jesus firmly placing His hand on the man’s shoulder or better yet cupping the side of his face in His open hand?
Jesus is in no way deterred by our filthiness. The putrid stench of sin emanating from our souls does not for one second stay His hand from reaching out and touching us…healing us…making us whole…for that is what a Savior does. And He is magnificent in who He is!
*Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation
Jan 14th, 2020, Tue, 12:38 pm
You Are Who We Were Made to Be
Thank You, Father, for the wonderful time we had with Massey being home. It was longer than we had hoped but far shorter than we would have liked, of course. Please be with him as he embarks on the final push, in the up and coming months, to complete all the many hours of work for his doctorate. Amen.
Luke 5:8-11 (<<click to read the passage)
How often do we struggle with catching something that is very important the first time we encounter it? Sometimes we need a wake-up call to get us moving in the right direction. The miraculous catch of fish was Peter’s – and for that matter Andrew (his brother), as well as, their fishing partners, James, and John – it was their wake-up call.
This is the only occurrence mentioned in Luke’s Gospel but Matthew (4:18-22), Mark (1:16-20), and John (1:37) mention first encounters with Jesus. They were called to follow Him and for whatever reason went back to fishing. But remember Jesus knows each and every one of us intimately. He knows where all of our strengths and weaknesses lie and because of all of that, He knows best for us.
One online comment I read was, “Having been with Jesus, Peter was impressed, but not committed. He apparently did not think he was made of the ‘right stuff’ to be a ‘holy man’. But obviously, as history and God’s word records, Jesus knew better.
As I pursued Peter’s calling, I read a few things online and came across some thoughts on the matter by the great 19th century “Prince of Preachers”, Charles Spurgeon.
In essence, Peter’s journey in his following of Jesus began with his being called out of darkness into marvelous light. Next, he was called to not just believe but to draw closer to Jesus and because of that closeness to take action on his belief in Him. Then lastly, Peter was challenged to draw yet closer to Jesus and to take upon himself the special work he was chosen to complete.
Jesus knew Peter. He was a rough fisherman but through Jesus’ love and attention Peter became the rock (which is what Peter means in Greek) of the Church that was to come.
None of us…let me repeat that, none of us – not one person who calls themselves a follower of Jesus – is beyond being used of Jesus to impact the world in marvelous and miraculous ways.
Jesus knows me. Jesus knows you! We are not Peter. We are who God made us to be. We are not all preachers or Bible teachers but again we are who God made us to be. We may not be called to impact 1,000s but we can impact one here…one there…and little by little we become instruments used of God to impact the world in marvelous and miraculous ways!
Jan 13th, 2020, Mon, 7:37 pm