March 13 2019

You Will Catch Men

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” Luke 5:7-10

When Jesus calls you He will use the skills He has already placed in you. 
Simon Peter was a fisherman.  
It was what he knew.  
Every moment he worked, every experience he had, every trial and tribulation and every success, was pointing toward this day when Jesus would call him. 
“Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men”; 
he would have the same profession, just a different catch.  
Jesus will stretch you, 
but He knows that He has placed all the skills you require within you to answer the call on your life.  If there are skills you need to build, 
He will set up those situations.  
Like Peter, we are already being equipped for the call on our lives.  
Our mess will become our message and our test our testimony.  
What are you going through right now?  
Be encouraged, God will use it for His glory!  
“Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men!”
Question for Discussion Group:

Does it encourage you to know that God is already equipping you for what He has in store for you?

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March 12 2019

You want me to do what?


When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. Luke 5:4-6

Sometimes God asks us to do things that we can’t understand; things that absolutely don’t make sense to our natural eyes.  
Peter had been out fishing all night.  
He was the expert here.  
He knew that you didn’t catch fish in the day; especially when you had fished all night in the same spot and came up empty.  
However, Peter was willing, at the Word of Jesus, to let down the net and see what would happen.  And what happened?  
They caught so many fish that their net was breaking and they required help from the surrounding boats.  
The Lord sees the big picture.  
At best, we only see fragments of the picture at any given time. 
When the Lord guides and directs us we can resort to
 “you want me to do what?” 
and refuse because we don’t understand the plan, or we, 
like Peter, can answer,
 “nevertheless, at Your word” 
and lower the net and watch with amazement at what the Lord will do!
Question for Discussion Group:
Have you ever responded to direction from the Lord with, “You want me to do what?” Were you able to step out in faith as Peter did?  What happened as a result?

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March 11 2019

In Wisdom, Stature and Favour

Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 1:51-52

Change is inevitable, growth is optional. 
Change comes whether we want it or not.  
But when change comes we can choose to go through it kicking and screaming or we can embrace it resulting in growth.  
Luke tells us that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature.  
He was the Son of God and yet He still increased in wisdom, the same why he grew in a physical sense. 
As He increased in wisdom, 
He increased in favor with God and with men.  
As we move through life, embracing the changes we encounter and growing through the experience, we too will find favour with God and men. 
Life is not static.
 Life is dynamic. 
Embrace the change and walk willingly into the growth that is available to you.

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