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?