Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’” – Luke 5:9-10

As experienced fishermen, Simon and his friends were blown away by the difference between working in their own strength, skill, and experience and working in Christ’s power. Indeed, when they obeyed Jesus, their boats nearly sank from catching so many fish. Jesus, of course, wasn’t particularly interested in fish, for He came to seek and save lost people.

The fundamental task of every follower of Jesus is to “catch” people. Inviting them into God’s Kingdom. Rescuing them from a life separated from God and doomed for eternity. Welcoming them joyfully into new life through faith in Jesus Christ. Guiding them into greater Kingdom life, power, and obedience to Christ. This is the fishing Jesus wants you to devote your life to as one of His followers.

Are you fishing for Him? Regardless of your job or family situation, do you recognize that Jesus has called you to be a catcher of people, representing Him and presenting Him. Sharing hope and offering life. Loving people and shining the light of Christ by your words and your actions. Teaching less mature Christians how to more fully follow Jesus, while learning from more mature Christians how to do that yourself. Do not be afraid; you’re called to fish for people!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.”
– Psalm 119:105

We live in a confusing and ever-shifting world. World events and cultural currents change more rapidly than ever before. Planning more than a few steps in advance has become a frustrating impossibility. It’s easy for even the most ardent lover of God to stumble and fall spiritually, mentally, and emotionally as he or she walks this road of life.

There is, however, one sure and certain way to remain on God’s path and know how and where to take your next step. God’s Word, the Bible, is a true and unchanging guide for your walk and your ways. God’s Word is the light that reveals how to think, speak, and act in a manner that glorifies God no matter what’s happening around you.

It isn’t enough to simply like the Word (in a social media sense). To gain the illumination of the Word, you must be in the Word yourself. You need more than a single verse and a brief devotional each day. You must be reading (or hearing) paragraphs, chapters, and pages You must be immersing yourself in the Bible daily and letting God’s Spirit use His Word to anchor your heart, mind, and soul to His path.

Get in the Word, stay in the Word, meditate on the Word, pray through the Word. Make the Word the lamp for your feet and the light for your path through this very dark and confusing world!

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” – Ephesians 6:13

Make no mistake…no matter how good, pleasant, and joyful things may be for you right now, you still live in a day and age that’s spiritually evil. Though you may or may not see it or feel it right now, one day, evil will make itself seen and felt in your life. God is doing wonderful things, but there’s a war going on between good and evil. As a follower of Jesus, if you’re going to persevere in doing the disciple-making, Kingdom-advancing work God has prepared for you to do, you’re going to need all the resources He has already given you!

Don’t go into any day, week, month, or year without the whole armor of God protecting you spiritually so you can withstand the attacks of all the forces, both earthly and spiritual, opposed to God. This battle is too difficult and painful to fight in your own strength and tools. You must choose to use God’s power He makes available to every believer:

TRUTH – know the truth of what God’s done for you and the world in Jesus Christ. Know His will and design for human flourishing. Know who you are in Christ. Embrace God’s truth, not “your truth”.

RIGHTEOUSNESS – live in daily pursuit of holiness, rejecting sin and seeking to live, think, and speak more and more like Jesus every day.

READINESS – to live and apply the gospel of peace which makes peace between you and God and enables you to take the risks needed to make peace with others.

FAITH – believe in the Lord, believe in His word and His promises, believe in His power, goodness, love, mercy, grace, and justice.

SALVATION – regularly think about the glorious truth of Who and how you were saved from eternal damnation, live and apply that salvation every day.

THE WORD OF GOD – read, meditate, study, memorize, and read some more from the Bible every single day!

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.” – Luke 4:14

Having followed the Spirit’s leading out into the desert to undergo intense temptation from the devil, Jesus returned to civilization ready to change the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture makes clear that Jesus, the eternal Son of God, conducted all aspects of His mission and ministry in the limitless power of the Holy Spirit.

As followers of Jesus, we must realize that while we certainly aren’t Jesus, we receive exactly the same Holy Spirit when we trust in Jesus. When we learn to walk, work, live, and love in the power of the Holy Spirit we’re capable of doing far more for God’s glory than we could ever imagine. Too often we think about what we can do only in terms of our abilities, talents, energy, experiences, and resources. In Christ, we have access to the infinite power and resources of the Holy Spirit!

How do we access that power? By cultivating our life in the Spirit. By regular worship, Bible reading and meditation, prayer, giving, and fasting. By serving God and sharing Christ regularly. By obeying those promptings of the Spirit that we’re often quick to dismiss as crazy, inconvenient, or impossible. By stepping out in faith to obey the hard commands of Scripture we don’t want to obey or want to explain away. By rejecting sin in our lives, immediately confessing it whenever we discover it and turning afresh to God after every failure and mis-step.

If you’re a follower of Jesus, the Spirit’s power is available to you. Will you settle for a powerless life or will you use the Spirit’s power to change the world?

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.” – 1 Kings 18:21

Many today are stuck in a place very similar to these ancient Israelites. They have a vague notion of God, usually quite limited and false, which they keep in their back pocket in case of emergencies. They don’t love Him, they don’t necessarily believe in Him, and they certainly don’t follow Him. They absolutely don’t want to hear His view on things. However, in an emergency, they want Him to immediately do whatever they ask, affirm whatever they’ve already decided, celebrate what they’ve already done, and pleasantly help out because things are tough. That definitely isn’t following Him!

Instead, they happily chase after modern-day Baals. Baal was a false god in ancient Canaan, worshiped as a source of prosperity, power, and pleasure. Today’s Baals look like the extreme elevation and celebration of self, “you do you”, living “your truth”, along with old familiar idols like wealth, health, power, fame, status, success, pleasure, entertainment, comfort, security, politics, etc. When those things are more central to someone’s life and emotional stability than God, then they’re following Baal.

If you realize that you or someone you care about is in this place, please understand that it’s impossible to “hedge your bets” and follow the Baal of 2022 while also keeping God around as a backup (or someone to blame) if and when things go wrong. If the Lord is God, follow Him! Don’t reimagine Him. Don’t ignore Him. Follow Him as He is. If Baal is your God, at least admit it and recognize that it’s impossible to try and have the best of both worlds. Thankfully though, when anyone is ready to abandon their idols and truly follow God, He’s waiting with open arms!