A Complete Circle

I John 1:3-4

³We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴We write this to make our joy complete.

Daddy Sang Bass by Johnny Cash

… singing seems to help a troubled soul.
One of these days and it won't be long,
I'll rejoin them in a song.
I'm gonna join the family circle at the Throne.
Oh, no the circle won't be broken.
By and by, Lord, by and by.

How can I proclaim what I have seen and heard?  And why should I?  For Johnny Cash, singing was his way to help his troubled soul.  In using the talent God gave him, Johnny has blessed many of us.  I don’t have the musical talent that Johnny had, so I have to use what I do have.  I am honored that David has asked and allowed me to write these morning devotions several times over the last year or so.  I am also very blessed because of it.  As I study the scripture and the lesson, it encourages me to spend time with God.   It helps me bond with my closest Christian brothers as I share my ideas with them and get their perspectives.  It causes me to share intimately with my wife, as she is my most trusted critic.  All of that fellowship is ultimately with Him and I receive such a blessing as I am writing. 

Is your circle complete?  My parents have gone on, but I am blessed to still have my in-laws.  My much much much older brother is daily becoming a better friend.  Tracy and I are still best friends after all these years, and we worry together about our children and pray for friends and coworkers who are not Christian.  Our little circle never stops growing.

I heard a story a couple of weeks ago that a pilot told.  She said that a rainbow from the pilot’s seat is a colorful circle, and that the shadow of the plane is always in the center of that circle no matter how high or fast she flies.  I think that’s a great picture of God’s love for us.  He lovingly encircles us, no matter what we do.

Do we proclaim what we have seen and heard so that others may benefit?  Do we share the fellowship we have with our heavenly father with those who may not have experienced it?  Do we try and make sure our circle is complete?

When Sin Comes

I John 1:8-2:2 (Msg)

If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.  I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world's.

I have a friend at work who is Catholic, and we have at times respectfully discussed the differences in what we believe and how we worship.  One item we have discussed is their practice of confessing sin to a priest.  I am not eager to make a list of my sins much less say them out loud to another person, yet he has indicated that confession is a very meaningful thing to him.  By verbalizing each sin and asking for forgiveness, he examines his life and actions, identifies the things he’s done wrong, asks forgiveness, and commits to avoid repeating the same sin.  He says it feels like having a big burden lifted off his shoulders.  In contrast, I don’t believe that it’s necessary to verbalize my sin to another person, when I ask God to forgive me. 

One thing we fully agree on is that we are imperfect men.  Not evil in the eyes of this world, but still sinners who can’t fool ourselves.  By acknowledging that, I can accept His forgiveness and cleansing. I can allow Jesus in His role of Priest-Friend as the Message version says to intercede with God on my behalf.  All sins past, present, and future (including yours) have been paid for with Jesus’ sacrifice. 

Pastor Ralph Galyon from Gillespie Avenue Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee passed away earlier this year.  He was the pastor who led me to Christ when I was about eight in the living room of our home at 2427 Coker Avenue.  I can remember sitting on my daughter’s bed in Sugar Land when she prayed and asked Jesus into her heart.  I hope someone someday looks back at Haley and remembers her sharing her faith and bringing that person closer to God.  That’s a circle I think we should all aspire to be part of.  The circle of sinners saved by grace to eternal life. 

God is Light

I John 1:5-7 (NRSV)

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

I love the Christmas season.  Not only is it the celebration of the birth of my Savior, but due to our travels, we’ve been blessed to experience many different styles of Christmas Eve services.  One of my favorites was when all the lights in the room were out and only a single candle burned on the table down front.  In the dim silence, carols began to play softly.  The leader lit his candle doubling the light.  He lit another and then we all proceeded to share the light by reaching to take a candle and receiving the light before passing it on to another.  After only a few moments, the room was ablaze with light – there was no darkness at all. 

When we center our lives on Christ, we will be in His light sharing what we have received from God and through others Christians with other people.  We will have a true and correct perspective of our own lives and accept the cleansing only Jesus can provide. 

If your light is out, or maybe just really dim, seek Him out and seek His people.  Very soon, we’ll be in the bright light together with Him.

It has to be genuine and personal

I John 1:1-2 (Msg)

From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

To center your life on Christ, you must personally experience God.

When I was seventeen, I worked the summer at Camp Ba-Yo-Ca.  Ba-Yo-Ca stands for Baptist Youth Camp, and I was a counselor during boys’ camp and washed dishes during the girls’ camp (please don’t let Tracy know I can wash dishes).   

One night, it also fell to me to light the campfire for the nightly devotion.  We were very safety conscious back then and so was the glass jar containing the gasoline I used to light the fire.  The way it was supposed to work was I would wait by the lake next to the wood with the gas and matches until someone yelled that it was time for the fire. Then I would pour the gas on the wood, throw the match and back away quickly before the group of nearly 100 campers and staff converged on the fire by the lake. The one night I remember most was when I KNOW I heard the call to light the fire and proceeded to pour out the gasoline only to hear a second call that it was not yet time.  Well, even I know you can’t get the gas back in the jar, so I just waited, not wanting to light the wood too early.  (I knew who chopped, gathered and stacked the firewood, so I didn’t want to waste any).  After 10 or 15 minutes, a roaring gang came rushing to the lakeside shivering and eager for a fire.  I asked politely for them to step back so I could light the fire.  They did – about 6 inches. I instructed them strongly in a cracking high school voice to STAND BACK!  And they did – another 6 inches.  With everyone being duly warned and “safely” retreated, I tossed the sparking match towards the center of the gas soaked wood. 

WHOOMPF  ß picture as a big font and bold!

The gasoline vapors had settled at least 3 to 4 feet beyond the expected area, and as the match fell, the flames ran out and then quickly jumped high into the sky.  We were very blessed that no one was hurt and that no one named Jim lost his job. 

How does this relate to an experience having to be personal?  I believe that on that night there were two things learned.  First, I learned a little wood lit early is better than a huge fireball among your friends and small children and that God protects fools with matches.  Second, a whole lot of young campers learned that when I asked them to do something, they should probably obey. 

There’s nothing like a personal experience.  Whether you are alone with a match, or surrounded by a group, what we experience is real.  Each of us is exposed to many things, and we can testify with certainty to those we personally experience.  I don’t know the answer to all the questions people can ask about Christianity, but I personally know my savior.  How do you experience Him daily?

Is it important to be Centered?

I John 1:1 - 2:2

Our next four entries will be about  Centering Life on the Word of Life.  As I began thinking on Centering I thought of a couple of things. 

Two years ago, I took up the hobby of making pens by turning wood or acrylic using a lathe (the lathe is a tool that spins the material and you use chisel like tools to make round parts).  I have some pens that, until they are fully assembled, look great.  All smooth and shiny.  Beautiful colors and grain patterns.  Apparently round.  Then I take the pieces and try and assemble them, and realize when I first prepared to turn the wood or acrylic that I over tightened the mandrel and bowed the stock.  In simple terms, I turned a circle that did not have the right center.  It’s not a big difference – maybe a 32^nd of an inch, but you can feel it when you grip the pen.  It’s just not right.  It looks ok, and it writes ok, but it’s not ok.    

A Lutheran friend of mine over 25 years ago shared a concept with me of a belief spiral.  The things in the center, like the point of a compass, are not negotiable.  My core beliefs include God is the all powerful, all knowing eternal creator.  Jesus is His son who came and died for us and rose again.  The Holy Spirit is living with us now and guiding us each day.  The bible is God’s word and salvation is available to all who repent and ask God for forgiveness.  A little farther out may be things like “Is Jonah and the whale a true story or a parable?”  Social drinking is out there somewhere.  Way – way out (for me) are things like my grandparents not allowing cards in the house because they were only good for gambling and dancing is off the chart.  When I think about this – I realize that I am more tolerant at this point in my life than I would have expected, because most of the things Christians disagree about are not in the center of the spiral. 

There have been many times in my life where I was a circle on the wrong center.  I looked ok on the outside, and other people might not have even noticed it, but my center was off, and I felt it.  There have been times when I got distracted by things that were way out on the belief spiral, and I allowed those differences to be barriers to me building friendships with Christians who were a little different from me. 

Are you happy with your center?  Is it daily on Christ?  Over the next four entries, we’ll look at what God has to say to us about centering our lives on Him. 

The Fifties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

I turned 52 in February, so my fifties are just starting.   So far, there have been many challenges.  Nick is still struggling with several issues, and at 26, there’s not much we can do to help him.  I’ve had some minor health issues (even minor surgery stinks) and Tracy continues to struggle with her back.  Haley’s gymnastics are taking a toll in broken toes, ankles, etc.  With so many hours in the gym, her grades are not quite what her dad knows she is capable of, and at 15, her dating and driving are growing fatherly concerns.  My perfect job has evolved, and isn’t exactly what it was expected to be.  We have struggled to find a church here, and are probably going to end up Methodists (so please pray for us – and the Methodists).  Tracy is now working at the local zoo and enjoying her time with new animals. 

And I find myself going back to the second verse of the hymn I mentioned when I talked about my teens – The Longer I Serve Him:

Every need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Every day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

The problems we face are just the way of life in a sinful world, and they cannot take away my joy unless I let them.  I heard someone say you couldn’t climb a rock if its surface was completely smooth.  Life’s like that.  We learn more from the bumps and bruises than the mountaintop highs.  And while I still don’t like the things that are not exactly according to my plans – that are hard, or unpleasant, I have found as I’ve matured (I refuse to say aged although Tracy might say you can’t use mature and Jim in the same sentence), that life is good, and getting better.  Things that used to bother me don’t anymore (usually).  I see blessings in small things – like a close in parking place or a short line for lunch.  I’m continually blessed with new friends like Maurice, Chuck, Bob, Kris and Jon. 

¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

And from here on, I know in my heart, that despite the problems, the tears, the pains, and the sad times, my relationship with Jesus is growing deeper.  He wants to share His joy with others through me, and if I can just get “me” out of the way, He can bless us all.  And that’s something to celebrate!

The Forties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… (Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities)

My forties were just what Dickens wrote about.  The best of times included more career growth and an opportunity to live and work in Brazil.  We were there in Sao Paulo for nearly three years.  I loved the job – I’ve never worked as hard – or played as hard.  We had fun – vacations in Rio, Manaus, Las Vegas, Colorado.   Tracy had an opportunity to be the stay at home mom.   Fancy dinner parties with long dresses and tuxedos.  We made some incredible friends including Ken and Mary.  Then we came back home.  Tracy stayed home and I changed jobs.  The worst of times began - Enron collapsed and the entire energy business was in upheaval.  Nick struggled with the return to the US and trying to enter a high school mid year as a junior.  I took a step back job wise looking for a fresh start, and we moved to Florida.  There we experienced six hurricanes in 18 months, including a Category 4 going over the building I was working in.  Tracy started experiencing some health issues with her back.  I left my job before getting another and learned what it’s like to be unemployed for six months.  But I also learned to have daily quiet times and I kept a journal of my pilgrimage and grew closer to God as He sustained me. 

¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
I was blessed with a new job that was a perfect fit for my skills and desires.  I know was God’s plan for me in Indiana. 

The Thirties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

My thirties would appear to be the “best years”.  Professionally, I was with a stable company and getting lots of opportunities to grow and develop.  ♥ Tracy ♥ and I got married.  We spent our honeymoon in San Francisco and Monterrey California!  We built our dream home in Sugar Land.  Haley came along and we were so richly blessed.  We celebrated – our ♥wedding♥ and Haley’s birth with many showers.  Soon we were involved at Williams Trace Baptist Church.  The adult choir, teaching Sunday school, committees, and the deacons all provided us opportunities for service and fun.  New friends – Bryan, Jimmie, Doc, Phil, Al, Jose, and many many more.  Deacon ordination and deacon family parties.  Deacon meetings and barbeque!  Fellowship, friendship and service.

⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
And even in the sadness and grieving when my parents died, I was sustained. I knew all this was blessing from heaven and my relationship with Jesus grew as I leaned on Him and learned His ways. 

The Twenties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

The decade of my twenties was a bit tumultuous.  I got married at twenty and finished college. I took a job in Houston and left Knoxville moving 950 miles from home.  We left a lot behind:  family, friends, church, and even my Tennessee twang (really - it used to be worse).   We struggled to make new friends as I worked too hard and left her alone too much.  We slept in on Sundays and made few common friends.  Eventually we divorced, and I looked for solace the only place I knew – the local church.  And I made more good friends – Dennis, Chuck, Linda, Bobby and others that I still love and stay in touch with.  I got to teach youth Sunday school and be part of some young lives.   I got to hold the guys back so the girls could get to the food at the fellowships.  I got asked “How far is too far?” every year.  I got to take high school guys to see wrestling matches (and while some think the action in the ring is scripted, I assure the fights among the crowd members is not).  We played softball and racquetball and I developed a real appreciation for Mexican food!.  It has been a blessing to reconnect with many of these youth with facebook and see how our Lord is using these “youth” in His service.  Gregg, Brian, Deanna, and Clay to name a few. 

And in the storms of the unpardonable sin of divorce and being nearly a thousand miles from home, He reached out to me. 

⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

I experienced Jesus always with me; right beside me.  I felt shaken, but He held me securely in His hand.  I began to comprehend the difference in happiness and joy.  Happiness was situation based and uncontrollable.  Joy from Christ is indwelling and sustaining.  I can choose to be joyful, no matter my situation.

The Teens

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Normally when I get the privilege of preparing a series of devotions, I get my assignment early.  I spend weeks thinking about it and reading the lesson and related scriptures.  Ideas come and go, until they gel in my head and eventually migrate into the word processor before the electronic trip to Beth and David for clean up and publication.  This time, I had a shorter prep time and postponed my studying.  I got a reminder note of my due date and even took a vacation day to write.  Feels like cramming for a test in college. 

Then this morning on the way to breakfast with my group of brothers, the AM radio played an old hymn:  The Longer I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows.  The chorus goes:

The longer serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

This series is on joy, and I got to thinking of how God has been with me over my decades and how He has sustained me in good and bad, in abundance and in want, with others and alone and about the difference between joy and happiness.  

For today, I think of the decade with my teen years.  I grew up in a home with a working mom and an alcoholic dad.  We had times of want and times of conflict.  I was active in my youth group and Christ was a very real part of my life.  He guided me through high school with good grades and into college.  I experienced my dad’s attempted suicide, and watched him quit drinking.  I held part time jobs and got a car (‘73 Nova Super Sport – Maroon with white racing stripes white letter tires and rally wheels).  I made good Christian friends (many of whom I still have contact with) and we had so many fun times together – Gary, Rod, and Chris to name a few.  We played softball, we studied, we sang 50’s music and gospel, we taught Sunday school, and we prayed.  And I experienced God with me.  A growing relationship and a foundation I leaned on.  A lot. 

⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.

He guided me, even in the dark times.  It’s a blessing that I can look back now and know He was there and remember the joy and peace with my Lord. 

Some become fishermen

Luke 5:1-11 (The Message)

Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. … When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee's sons, coworkers with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women." They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him.

Who do you see as the best fisherman in the story today?  Simon?  He started the day with empty nets and ended up with two overflowing boats.  Jesus?  He started the day with a huge crowd clamoring to hear Him, and ended the day with three people following Him.  There’s another fisherman out there too that we haven’t looked at – just as Jesus chose apostles to carry his message, Satan is out there fishing for souls too.  His bait is different – often appearing more exciting and appealing, but the result of taking his bait is different too and it appears that he caught all the people who listened to Jesus but three.  Just look at what those three were a part of!  Our own spiritual heritage includes these apostles. 

Do you ever get hung up on numbers?   As an engineering manager, I do, and when I was teaching Sunday School, I often considered attendance numbers as a kind of grade on my teaching.  But then I would think about the person who led Billy Graham to know Jesus.  Although I heard his story, I cannot remember his name, but look at the millions of people who have had an opportunity to know Jesus because someone led Billy to Jesus.  Am I listening to Jesus?  Am I willing to leave all I have to follow Him?  Would I be happy to win three from a huge crowd?

You can learn from better fishermen

Luke 5:4-7 (Amplified)

He said to Simon (Peter), Put out into the deep [water], and lower your nets for a haul.  And Simon (Peter) answered, Master, we toiled all night [exhaustingly] and caught nothing [in our nets]. But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets [again].  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish; and as their nets were [at the point of] breaking,  They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold with them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 

God has blessed us all with talents, and He expects us to use them to bless others and bring glory to Him.  In our bible passage today, Simon’s talent was fishing.  He was a professional who made his living, supported others, and fed many through his talent for fishing.  He was good, and I believe he was pretty confident in that skill.  I say that because he was confident enough to try and explain to Jesus how to fish.  He didn’t realize that he was talking to a better fisherman. 

I admire the relationship that Jesus and Simon show here when it’s OK for Simon to express exactly what he thought and felt.  No hesitation.  No muttering under his breath and grudgingly obeying.  Honest, authentic expression of what he felt.  But more than that, he knew who Jesus was.  After his vent, he said, “…but because you are the one saying it, Lord, I’ll do it”.  How’s your relationship with the Master (your talent goes here).  Can you be honest with Him all the time?  Do you also listen closely enough to hear what He’s trying to teach you?  And when He speaks, do you obey?

Fish with a friend

Luke 5:4-7 (New Living Translation)

When (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”  “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!  A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

Do you ever feel that once you’re a Christian, everything should be smooth sailing?  Me too.  And when the difficult times come, I usually have to remind myself that this life is temporary and that God uses hard things to teach us.  In our scripture today, Simon was doing exactly what Jesus told him to do.  Push out deeper, and drop your nets.  Well within the comfort zone for a professional fisherman.  But when the nets were filled beyond their capacity and begin to tear as the boats approach the point of sinking, what’s a fisherman to do?  In our scripture, Simon’s friends were close by and came quickly to his aid.  They were rewarded by an astounding catch that I’m sure blessed all the fishermen, their friends, family, and customers. 

I can’t be a Sprit filled Christian alone.  I need to have someone close to me.  Someone I can admit my deficiencies, failures, and doubts to.  God has always provided me with someone who is ready, willing and able to help me.  Is your load too heavy for you to bear alone today, even if you are right in the middle of God’s will?  What are you going to do about it?  Do you have friends you can truly depend on?  Are you willing to expose yourself to them?  And are you alert to hear your friends when they whisper a request for you to help them? 

Fish where the fish are, and use the right bait

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.  (V 1-3 NIV)

Often when Jesus showed up, spontaneous crowds gathered.  He didn’t post His schedule in the Jerusalem Times.  He wasn’t Tweeting or updating his friends and fans on Face Book.  No one was coordinating his press releases with the Fox News web site.  Local TV anchors were not jockeying for satellite truck parking space.  Yet the crowds came - and when the crowds came, Jesus taught.  He knew the will of our Father was to minister to these followers where they were.  He also knew their human needs.  In this case, when the crowd became too large for Him to effectively talk to, He pushed out a little way in a borrowed boat so that all could hear Him speak – and taking away their ability to say, “I saw Him, but the crowd was too large and noisy.  I only heard part of what He said.” 

On my own, I don’t have the charisma that Jesus had, nor the insight to always know where the people who need to hear His word are.  But because Jesus still knows all our needs, am I trying daily to be aware of the opportunities that Jesus gives me to share His message – sometimes one on one, sometimes to a small group, and maybe even to a crowd?  Do I lean on Him to always show me the bait I need to use to bring them close so that they can truly experience Him? 

Fish where the boat is

Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret (the Sea of Galilee), the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. (V1- 3 The Message)

Jesus was seaside in a bustling business area.  He could have been anywhere, but He chose this location.  People reacted to His presence and crowded around to hear Him speak.  Some might say “coincidently” Jesus was there and surprisingly crossed paths with a friend who happened to have a boat.  (Jesus and Simon had already spent time together in Luke 4:38-39.)  When the crowd overwhelmed the facilities on the shore, Jesus called to Simon saying something like, “Hey Simon, I need your boat and a good captain – can you suggest one?” and I can almost hear Simon replying “I only know one good captain, but I think I can convince him to help you.  He’s certainly not cleaning any fish right now.”  Because His friend Simon was there, Jesus had ready use of a boat.  No miracle needed – no new relationship to form. 

We need to be aware of and use the things God has already provided us.  We don’t always need divine intervention to accomplish His will.  I love the way the Message version describes our Lord sitting there using the boat for a pulpit.  Makes me want to ask myself:  Am I open and willing to use my home as a pulpit?  My office?  My lunch hour?  My motorcycle rides?  The pens I make?  My vacations?  My ______________?  (Fill in your own blank)

How many ways to God?

Every morning, there are a number of routes I can take to go about ten miles to my office, and all end at the same place.  On the faith journey to salvation, popular society wants to be politically correct and say there are many ways – or even say that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe something sincerely.  I disagree with this. 

Religionfacts.com lists Christianity as only one of over forty denominations (http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm).  Under “Christianity”, there are nine sub denominations not including the non-denominational Christian church I’m now attending or the Methodists (http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/index.htm). 

Wow – that seems like a lot of options! 

But I learned a chorus song as a youth –

There’s one way

To peace

Through the power

Of the cross

His banner over me is love

That’s still true.  There is only one way available to us by the gracious love of Almighty God.  Accept the free gift of salvation that includes Jesus blood covering our sins. Galatians 3:26 says “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus”.  Is your faith in Christ alone?  Can others see that? 

Do you have “faith but”?

As I was driving home the other day wondering what God was going to share with us through this devotion series, a preacher came on the radio.  Having Christian radio on in the car isn’t unusual for me, but it was about 11:00 and I’m not usually on the road at that time.  He was speaking on faith.

What caught my attention was when he stated that too many of us have “faith, but…”  As in:

• I believe God can do miracles, but they were all in the past. 
• I believe God wants us to do our best to be pure, but little sins aren’t a big deal.
• I believe in helping the poor, but I don’t have time. 

Anything we use to qualify our faith detracts from that faith and limits it.  Whether it’s a “faith but” or a “faith and” (as in faith and works) it is basically our way of either making excuses for God not doing our will, or hedging our bets to allow us to not truly believe.  Galatians 3 teaches us that faith is the only route to God.  Not “faith and” and certainly not “faith but”. 

What are we adding to faith that actually limits our ability to accept God’s plan and grow closer to Him?