Gone Fishin
If you are to busy to read this, then you are too busy. If you don't have time to read this I would suggest that you slow down and smell the roses!
The word busy spells Being Under Satans Yoke
I had a long hard week but no matter what the problem was I did my very best to be kind and compassionate to whom ever I talked with. I also talked with God several times a day. The weather was pretty bad while out fishing this week but no matter what happened, I kept the faith, knowing that my Real Captain would see me through it all. I was right. We were blessed with a bountiful catch. God blessed us with His kindness. He tells us to seek ye first the kingdom of God and all His righteous and all these things will be added unto you.
Do you listen and do what He says to do? Do you follow His leadership? Is he the Captain of your life? If you do not have Him number one in your drivers seat, then make some adjustments and let The Power of the Holy Spirit be your counselor and teacher. We are supposed to be disciples, and do you remember what a disciple is? He is one who helps spread his Master’s teaching. That is not to say that we have to do all this work all by ourselves, but we are to join together as God’s chosen vessels and all pull together with all the other Children of God and spread our Master’s teaching.
You might ask why should we have to go out and tell people about Jesus. When you come to know even a little about the Mission of a Christian it will become very clear. We are supposed to be Christians on a mission. Jesus tells us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and The Holy Spirit, and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them whether they listen or not.”
Do you listen and do what He says to do? Do you follow His leadership? Is he the Captain of your life? If you do not have Him number one in your drivers seat, then make some adjustments and let The Power of the Holy Spirit be your counselor and teacher. We are supposed to be disciples, and do you remember what a disciple is? He is one who helps spread his Master’s teaching. That is not to say that we have to do all this work all by ourselves, but we are to join together as God’s chosen vessels and all pull together with all the other Children of God and spread our Master’s teaching.
You might ask why should we have to go out and tell people about Jesus. When you come to know even a little about the Mission of a Christian it will become very clear. We are supposed to be Christians on a mission. Jesus tells us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and The Holy Spirit, and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them whether they listen or not.”
If we just sit around waiting on someone else to do it, the job will still get done because Jesus is already the victor and has crushed the head of the serpent when He gave up His blood on the cross. Therefore, He wants to see in us some participation; it is our duty as Christians to join the battle against the evil of the world. All of us can help make a difference. Who knows he might just want to use something you have in your life. It could be a list of many things that you have that He wants to use. It could be your voice, it could be your prayers, maybe even be your tears, your truck or for that matter Jesus might even want to use your boat.
How would you like to go fishin with Jesus? Lets go.
In the life of the kingdom, we come to moments when the torch or Gods word is passed from one person to another, from one generation to the next. A man or woman of God senses in his or her heart that God is assigning a new task—and giving the necessary power of HIS LIFE to accomplish that task.
I am touched by the Holy Spirit to offer you a possibility: This may be your moment. Now may be the time when you should stir the gift He has deposited within you and prepare yourself for the moment when the torch will be passed to you. This torch that may be passed to you will help someone else see the way to go, and that way is to the cross of Jesus.
In one of Paul’s final conversations with Timothy, we see such a moment played out for this young man. Paul says to the one he has mentored and cared for, “Listen, stop being afraid. I was there. I laid hands on you. I know what was put into you. You’ve got something from your grandmother. You’ve got something from your mother. You’ve got something from me. You’ve got something from Almighty God. Now stir up the gift and use it!”
The passing of the torch, for those of you chosen and ordained by God for the work of His kingdom, a similar moment will come. How will we understand and anticipate such a personal miracle?
PUSH OUT INTO THE DEEP WITH JESUS
Let’s look at a scene from the life of Christ for insight on how to “Stir up the gift and use it” in our own personal lives. In Luke 5, we read that as Jesus was teaching by the Sea of Galilee, the crowd “listening to The Word of God” was so great that it literally pressed against Him—possibly threatening to push Him into the lake.
At the water’s edge were two fishing boats, one of which belonged to Simon Peter. Jesus’ solution was to borrow the boat, and He asked Peter to push out a little ways into the water. Then Jesus sat down in the boat and spoke to the crowds from there. He preached with love and kindness. He had compassion for all people.
While Jesus taught, I imagine Peter at the back of the boat preoccupied with washing of nets or tending to other chores left over from a night’s work—a night that had been all work and no fish. When Jesus finished teaching, He turned to Peter and issued a remarkable invitation. “Let’s go out to the deep water. I want to let down your nets for a catch.” (He wants to use your nets for a catch also.)
Now Peter’s nets might have been ready, his bags may have been cleaned and tied, but his attitude wasn’t. “Master we have toiled all night, and we haven’t caught anything.”(Can you see the blank look on Peter’s face?) Then he surrendered: “But if you want, we will do it. AT YOUR WORD, I’ll let down the nets.” And that exactly what Jesus had in mind. So Peter, followed by the second boat, rowed out into the deep of the lake to fish. At His Word or Command we are to do what He tells us to do, He wants to use your Spirit to hold His torch. When we do what He asks us to do we will be rewarded.
In my mind I can see Peter putting out the nets and who knows maybe Jesus was helping. Take a second and go there and feel the power of His Word. Luke records that when Peter pulled the nets back in, he had caught so many fish the nets began to rip into. Excited Peter yelled to the others within range to come and help haul in the nets. But that wasn’t the end of Peter’s surprise—unbelievably, so many fish now filled the boat that they began to sink.
Peter was stunned by the size of the catch. He had fished all his life—and he knew this couldn’t be happening. But it was. Something had happened that he couldn’t explain. Or maybe he could. “This ain’t fishing,” you can hear him gasping. “This is a miracle!”(When we allow God to use us, not us but He can accomplish miracles.)
Peter dropped to his knees right in the middle of all those fish and cried out to Jesus, "Get away from me, Lord. I’m a sinful man!” This may seem like a strange reaction, but Jesus’ response was immediate. “Don’t be afraid,” he said to the anxious fisherman. "From now on you are going to catch people. Not fish. People.” (He wants you and I to fish for the souls of people all sizes all ages.) We are not to be afraid be cause His Word says that He will never leave your side, He is always there ready to give a helping hand.
Now lets stop the action for a minute and work back through the story to see what the Lord will show us as we consider our assignment and destiny and the calling to “stir up the gift within us.”
FISHIN CLOSER WITH JESUS
Notice the Scriptures say that the people pressed about Jesus to hear the “Word of God.” Why was there such tremendous interest? Because people knew that when they came to Jesus they would hear what God had to say. You see, God wants you to hear the word of the Lord, not simply read and learn Bible text. He wants you to hear directly from Jesus. He wants you to hear His Word for your life—and the hunger for hearing God is what still brings crowds today. To stir up your gift and prepare for your assignment, you must fish close to Jesus to hear what God will say to you personally. Only then will you have something of power and meaning to say to others.
Scripture says, He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. I find great beauty in this phrase. If you’re going to be ready to take the torch and run, you must be ready to run from where ever you are. Be ready to do the job He set forth for us to do. We are to be fishers of men. We should be ready to fish from any boat we come across or maybe even a tractor or truck, any place where the Lord has placed you. In this picture of Jesus teaching from the boat we see the simplicity of His kindness and love. How amazing to think the God of the universe taught while “sitting in a boat”!
You are free to express the message that God has deposited within you in a way that fits your circumstances and is uniquely you. As you become confident about whom you are, you’ll find that how you express the life of Jesus will manifest itself differently in you than in any other Christian Brother or sister. Personal expression flows naturally when you know what God wants to say. But if you are not hearing from the Lord or speaking His message, no amount of personal style or polish will help you touch the life of another with the life of Jesus.
Because Jesus is invisible, it is HIS WORD that makes His presence known. When you take the time to hear from God personally, people near you will experience the influence of God on your life. They will know that it is a miracle of the Spirit, and that something of His life is flowing out of you. The disciples on the road to Emmaus described the experience this way: WHEN WE HEARD HIM, OUR HEARTS BURNED.
LETTING JESUS USE YOUR BOAT (HE MUST BE YOUR #1 PARTNER)
I want us to notice the wonderful way that the Lord mentors, how He pulls men and women into partnership with Himself. When it comes time for Jesus to move you into partnership, He often asks to use something that belongs to you. To partner in the miraculous ministry of Jesus will cost you something—usually something you hold dear.
Jesus comes in His lovely way to reveal our destiny. But inevitably our assignment has something to do with possession. It is always tied to something that you have personal control over—your time, your money, your home. It is almost astonishing how accurately He zeros in on that one thing.
These are delightful ways that Jesus invites us into partnership. We’d rather develop tidy little courses and write books about the doctrine of a disciple, the character of a disciple, or the availability of a disciple. But discipleship by Jesus requires a complete exchange. Everything you are has to be invested in order to receive the return of everything He is.
You already may have begun to experience His supernatural provision in many areas of your life. You may learning certain skills, moving with a new sense of power and authority in your spiritual and personal life. You’re excited about the fruitfulness that is beginning to happen. But make no mistake about it somewhere along the line, in order for Him to do all these wonderful things He wants to do through you, He will walk into your life and say to you as He did to Peter, the fisherman, “Excuse me! Could I use your boat?
WHEN YOU FISH WITH HIM, MIRACLES HAPPEN
As we mature in partnering, eventually we will arrive at the wonderful opportunity to go further. Jesus will say to us “OK, launch out into the deep. Let down your nets for a catch.”
Those around you might say that if you’re catching some fish and the boat isn’t sinking, God is with you and you should hold on to what you’ve got. But I challenge you to think differently. When God is an active partner in a venture, you can’t keep up with the returns. You’re always trying to catch up. Think about it: When we have a task all figured out, then that’s all it will ever be—something we can figure out on our own. Peter fished all night long and didn’t catch any fish but when Jesus said with His Word, let down your net, well they came up full, So full that the boat was sinking.
Jesus says, "Launch out into the deep. Get ready for the catch of your life!” Oh how we need to hear Jesus say that in our own personal lives. How we need the miraculous! The miraculous power that causes nets to break and boats to sink. When you begin to partner with Jesus, miracles will take place.
If we look at what this story teaches about miracles, we could say that the miraculous always begins with something you can do. Jesus only asked Peter to “launch out.” He didn’t ask him to produce the catch! But often the miraculous also begins with something you don’t want to do. It requires time, energy, or resources that you’d rather not expend. It’s all about fishing where you’ve already fished—just because He asked you to.
How we need the miraculous! And how we resist it out of fear! We’re so afraid it won’t or can’t happen. Watch for those impressions in your inner being, the fleeting thought that says, “I don’t know what will come of it, but I think we ought to do something here.” At those moments, for heavens sake, stop and do something! Do the impossible. Don’t do something crazy, just the simple, obedient thing. Listen to His voice, and follow.
THE CATCH
How would you like to go fishin with Jesus? Lets go.
In the life of the kingdom, we come to moments when the torch or Gods word is passed from one person to another, from one generation to the next. A man or woman of God senses in his or her heart that God is assigning a new task—and giving the necessary power of HIS LIFE to accomplish that task.
I am touched by the Holy Spirit to offer you a possibility: This may be your moment. Now may be the time when you should stir the gift He has deposited within you and prepare yourself for the moment when the torch will be passed to you. This torch that may be passed to you will help someone else see the way to go, and that way is to the cross of Jesus.
In one of Paul’s final conversations with Timothy, we see such a moment played out for this young man. Paul says to the one he has mentored and cared for, “Listen, stop being afraid. I was there. I laid hands on you. I know what was put into you. You’ve got something from your grandmother. You’ve got something from your mother. You’ve got something from me. You’ve got something from Almighty God. Now stir up the gift and use it!”
The passing of the torch, for those of you chosen and ordained by God for the work of His kingdom, a similar moment will come. How will we understand and anticipate such a personal miracle?
PUSH OUT INTO THE DEEP WITH JESUS
Let’s look at a scene from the life of Christ for insight on how to “Stir up the gift and use it” in our own personal lives. In Luke 5, we read that as Jesus was teaching by the Sea of Galilee, the crowd “listening to The Word of God” was so great that it literally pressed against Him—possibly threatening to push Him into the lake.
At the water’s edge were two fishing boats, one of which belonged to Simon Peter. Jesus’ solution was to borrow the boat, and He asked Peter to push out a little ways into the water. Then Jesus sat down in the boat and spoke to the crowds from there. He preached with love and kindness. He had compassion for all people.
While Jesus taught, I imagine Peter at the back of the boat preoccupied with washing of nets or tending to other chores left over from a night’s work—a night that had been all work and no fish. When Jesus finished teaching, He turned to Peter and issued a remarkable invitation. “Let’s go out to the deep water. I want to let down your nets for a catch.” (He wants to use your nets for a catch also.)
Now Peter’s nets might have been ready, his bags may have been cleaned and tied, but his attitude wasn’t. “Master we have toiled all night, and we haven’t caught anything.”(Can you see the blank look on Peter’s face?) Then he surrendered: “But if you want, we will do it. AT YOUR WORD, I’ll let down the nets.” And that exactly what Jesus had in mind. So Peter, followed by the second boat, rowed out into the deep of the lake to fish. At His Word or Command we are to do what He tells us to do, He wants to use your Spirit to hold His torch. When we do what He asks us to do we will be rewarded.
In my mind I can see Peter putting out the nets and who knows maybe Jesus was helping. Take a second and go there and feel the power of His Word. Luke records that when Peter pulled the nets back in, he had caught so many fish the nets began to rip into. Excited Peter yelled to the others within range to come and help haul in the nets. But that wasn’t the end of Peter’s surprise—unbelievably, so many fish now filled the boat that they began to sink.
Peter was stunned by the size of the catch. He had fished all his life—and he knew this couldn’t be happening. But it was. Something had happened that he couldn’t explain. Or maybe he could. “This ain’t fishing,” you can hear him gasping. “This is a miracle!”(When we allow God to use us, not us but He can accomplish miracles.)
Peter dropped to his knees right in the middle of all those fish and cried out to Jesus, "Get away from me, Lord. I’m a sinful man!” This may seem like a strange reaction, but Jesus’ response was immediate. “Don’t be afraid,” he said to the anxious fisherman. "From now on you are going to catch people. Not fish. People.” (He wants you and I to fish for the souls of people all sizes all ages.) We are not to be afraid be cause His Word says that He will never leave your side, He is always there ready to give a helping hand.
Now lets stop the action for a minute and work back through the story to see what the Lord will show us as we consider our assignment and destiny and the calling to “stir up the gift within us.”
FISHIN CLOSER WITH JESUS
Notice the Scriptures say that the people pressed about Jesus to hear the “Word of God.” Why was there such tremendous interest? Because people knew that when they came to Jesus they would hear what God had to say. You see, God wants you to hear the word of the Lord, not simply read and learn Bible text. He wants you to hear directly from Jesus. He wants you to hear His Word for your life—and the hunger for hearing God is what still brings crowds today. To stir up your gift and prepare for your assignment, you must fish close to Jesus to hear what God will say to you personally. Only then will you have something of power and meaning to say to others.
Scripture says, He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. I find great beauty in this phrase. If you’re going to be ready to take the torch and run, you must be ready to run from where ever you are. Be ready to do the job He set forth for us to do. We are to be fishers of men. We should be ready to fish from any boat we come across or maybe even a tractor or truck, any place where the Lord has placed you. In this picture of Jesus teaching from the boat we see the simplicity of His kindness and love. How amazing to think the God of the universe taught while “sitting in a boat”!
You are free to express the message that God has deposited within you in a way that fits your circumstances and is uniquely you. As you become confident about whom you are, you’ll find that how you express the life of Jesus will manifest itself differently in you than in any other Christian Brother or sister. Personal expression flows naturally when you know what God wants to say. But if you are not hearing from the Lord or speaking His message, no amount of personal style or polish will help you touch the life of another with the life of Jesus.
Because Jesus is invisible, it is HIS WORD that makes His presence known. When you take the time to hear from God personally, people near you will experience the influence of God on your life. They will know that it is a miracle of the Spirit, and that something of His life is flowing out of you. The disciples on the road to Emmaus described the experience this way: WHEN WE HEARD HIM, OUR HEARTS BURNED.
LETTING JESUS USE YOUR BOAT (HE MUST BE YOUR #1 PARTNER)
I want us to notice the wonderful way that the Lord mentors, how He pulls men and women into partnership with Himself. When it comes time for Jesus to move you into partnership, He often asks to use something that belongs to you. To partner in the miraculous ministry of Jesus will cost you something—usually something you hold dear.
Jesus comes in His lovely way to reveal our destiny. But inevitably our assignment has something to do with possession. It is always tied to something that you have personal control over—your time, your money, your home. It is almost astonishing how accurately He zeros in on that one thing.
These are delightful ways that Jesus invites us into partnership. We’d rather develop tidy little courses and write books about the doctrine of a disciple, the character of a disciple, or the availability of a disciple. But discipleship by Jesus requires a complete exchange. Everything you are has to be invested in order to receive the return of everything He is.
You already may have begun to experience His supernatural provision in many areas of your life. You may learning certain skills, moving with a new sense of power and authority in your spiritual and personal life. You’re excited about the fruitfulness that is beginning to happen. But make no mistake about it somewhere along the line, in order for Him to do all these wonderful things He wants to do through you, He will walk into your life and say to you as He did to Peter, the fisherman, “Excuse me! Could I use your boat?
WHEN YOU FISH WITH HIM, MIRACLES HAPPEN
As we mature in partnering, eventually we will arrive at the wonderful opportunity to go further. Jesus will say to us “OK, launch out into the deep. Let down your nets for a catch.”
Those around you might say that if you’re catching some fish and the boat isn’t sinking, God is with you and you should hold on to what you’ve got. But I challenge you to think differently. When God is an active partner in a venture, you can’t keep up with the returns. You’re always trying to catch up. Think about it: When we have a task all figured out, then that’s all it will ever be—something we can figure out on our own. Peter fished all night long and didn’t catch any fish but when Jesus said with His Word, let down your net, well they came up full, So full that the boat was sinking.
Jesus says, "Launch out into the deep. Get ready for the catch of your life!” Oh how we need to hear Jesus say that in our own personal lives. How we need the miraculous! The miraculous power that causes nets to break and boats to sink. When you begin to partner with Jesus, miracles will take place.
If we look at what this story teaches about miracles, we could say that the miraculous always begins with something you can do. Jesus only asked Peter to “launch out.” He didn’t ask him to produce the catch! But often the miraculous also begins with something you don’t want to do. It requires time, energy, or resources that you’d rather not expend. It’s all about fishing where you’ve already fished—just because He asked you to.
How we need the miraculous! And how we resist it out of fear! We’re so afraid it won’t or can’t happen. Watch for those impressions in your inner being, the fleeting thought that says, “I don’t know what will come of it, but I think we ought to do something here.” At those moments, for heavens sake, stop and do something! Do the impossible. Don’t do something crazy, just the simple, obedient thing. Listen to His voice, and follow.
THE CATCH
Now we come to the most touching moment of this wonderful story of Peter. Prior to this time—probably many days or weeks earlier—Peter had heard the call of Jesus to “Come Follow Me.” The Scriptures say that Peter and those with him left everything to follow Jesus. But now some time has passed, and they have gone back to fishing. Ironically, Jesus just happens to be there on the shore with the crowds the morning that Peter returns from fishing all night. Isn’t it interesting that it would be Peter’s boat that Jesus’ ask for? “Say, Peter, can I use your boat?
Out on the water, in the deep waters of the Sea of Galilee, the net is filled. And then the fish begin to break the net and threaten to sink the boat. Peter is as much horrified and ashamed as he is overwhelmed by what is taking place. And then come his heartfelt cry, “Stand away from me, I am full of sin. Get away from me, because I know this is a miracle, and I don’t deserve this.
So often, we cry out with thoughts of unworthiness or we compare ourselves with others. We cry, “I’ll never be like him, or I’ll never be like her. I’m not worthy if net-breaking, boat sinking miracles.” And in that moment, Jesus responds to Peter and all of us: “Don’t be afraid.” He understands why we would feel frightened, overwhelmed, and unworthy, but He immediately says, Stop it!” He doesn’t want you to be like him or her, He wants to use you just the way you are. He wants to use just what you have and what you don’t have, He provides. We are His Masterpiece and His workmanship.
You may sense that God is preparing you for a significant assignment. A big catch. But you don’t need to be afraid.
Every single one of us could say to Jesus, “Stand away. I’m not worthy!” but hear what Jesus wants to say to you: “Stop being afraid. I’ve got fish for you to catch that you can’t even imagine. I’ve got a destiny that can only happen through miracles! Let Me break your nets!—the limits of your understanding and expectation. If your dream isn’t bigger than your net, then it’s not Me in your boat!"
Jesus desires to bring new skill levels into your life for the express purpose of fulfilling the assignment He has given you. Press close to Jesus to hear what God is saying to you! Just you. Allow his message to be expressed clearly through your life in a way that honors the unique creation He made you to be.
By the way, expect Jesus to ask to use your boat. In His own special way He always will.
LORD, ALL I HAVE IS YOURS
LORD JESUS, BY YOUR GRACE, ACCOMPLISH NEW GIFTINGS AND NEW FRUITFULNESS IN ME. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED FROM MY LIFE, LORD. USE WHAT IS PRECIOUS TO ME. USE MY BOAT!! HELP ME TO BE OPEN TO YOUR WONDERFUL MIRACLES. LORD JESUS, THE TORCH IS PASSING, AND I DESIRE TO PARTNER WITH YOU IN YOUR GREAT PLAN.
Out on the water, in the deep waters of the Sea of Galilee, the net is filled. And then the fish begin to break the net and threaten to sink the boat. Peter is as much horrified and ashamed as he is overwhelmed by what is taking place. And then come his heartfelt cry, “Stand away from me, I am full of sin. Get away from me, because I know this is a miracle, and I don’t deserve this.
So often, we cry out with thoughts of unworthiness or we compare ourselves with others. We cry, “I’ll never be like him, or I’ll never be like her. I’m not worthy if net-breaking, boat sinking miracles.” And in that moment, Jesus responds to Peter and all of us: “Don’t be afraid.” He understands why we would feel frightened, overwhelmed, and unworthy, but He immediately says, Stop it!” He doesn’t want you to be like him or her, He wants to use you just the way you are. He wants to use just what you have and what you don’t have, He provides. We are His Masterpiece and His workmanship.
You may sense that God is preparing you for a significant assignment. A big catch. But you don’t need to be afraid.
Every single one of us could say to Jesus, “Stand away. I’m not worthy!” but hear what Jesus wants to say to you: “Stop being afraid. I’ve got fish for you to catch that you can’t even imagine. I’ve got a destiny that can only happen through miracles! Let Me break your nets!—the limits of your understanding and expectation. If your dream isn’t bigger than your net, then it’s not Me in your boat!"
Jesus desires to bring new skill levels into your life for the express purpose of fulfilling the assignment He has given you. Press close to Jesus to hear what God is saying to you! Just you. Allow his message to be expressed clearly through your life in a way that honors the unique creation He made you to be.
By the way, expect Jesus to ask to use your boat. In His own special way He always will.
LORD, ALL I HAVE IS YOURS
LORD JESUS, BY YOUR GRACE, ACCOMPLISH NEW GIFTINGS AND NEW FRUITFULNESS IN ME. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED FROM MY LIFE, LORD. USE WHAT IS PRECIOUS TO ME. USE MY BOAT!! HELP ME TO BE OPEN TO YOUR WONDERFUL MIRACLES. LORD JESUS, THE TORCH IS PASSING, AND I DESIRE TO PARTNER WITH YOU IN YOUR GREAT PLAN.
posted by Fisherman For Christ at 9/04/2006 08:55:00 PM
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