Get back in the race

“When Jesus finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into the deep water. If all of you will put your nets into the water, you will catch some fish.” Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish and caught nothing. But you say I should put the nets into the water, so I will.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:4-5‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Some time later...

“Simon Peter said, “I am going out to fish.” The other followers said, “We will go with you.” So all of them went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.”
‭‭John‬ ‭21:3‬ ‭ERV‬‬

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the passage in Luke, chapter 5. I was about to go to Germany on a mission trip. I was encouraged by the promise that God is not dependent on my "fishing" talents. He proved that to be true when we saw so many teens come to know the Lord. He was not dependent on us but His power. We were only there to "throw out the nets." He brought in the fish.

But notice what happened next in the story about Peter. After becoming a follower of Jesus, he denied Christ three times. And then he returned to becoming an ordinary fisherman. He returned to his old occupation. Did you realize that Peter was going to let his sin keep him out of the race?

I have been on many youth camps and I have seen youths give their life to Christ. And within a short period of time, they return to their former "occupation." They forget that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is living in them.

I contend that each and every one of us has been called to be a fisher of men. Go back to the first time when you felt God speak to your heart. Remember the moment that you gave your life to Jesus and made him Savior and Lord. You have not been knocked out of the race. You have not been thrown away when you messed up really bad. You have not been set back by a returning to an old addiction. You do not return back to your former life. God made us a new creation, with a new heart.

I am so glad that He is not like us with limited mercy and strength. He is a God of infinite grace and mercy and forgiveness. The next page in the story of Peter was a life of explosive power. He brought men to a saving knowledge of Christ by the 1000's. He healed the sick in Jesus name. He willing endured being thrown into jail and beaten. He stood before the Jewish High Council and spoke with boldness and wisdom.

Get back up and start living the life He called you to live. God still has big plans for you.

God Enjoys Us When We Trust Him

“War horses and powerful soldiers are not what he cares about. The Lord enjoys people who worship him and trust in his faithful love.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147:10-11‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I just have experienced the most incredible two weeks of God's display of power. I spent two weeks in Germany at a English/Sports camp. I began the week with some sad news from home. I experienced jet lag for days. I had back spasms for the last ten days of the trip. I got a bad cold and lost my voice for two days. I can hardly write this blog without coughing and blowing my nose! I constantly questioned why I was there. I am old. I am not sports minded. I can't speak German. Why Lord, did you bring me here?

He brought me here so that I could see that He does not need "war horses or powerful soldiers." He needs me to worship him and trust him.

I was given a group of 8 middle school aged girls to mentor for the week. I did not speak German and most did not speak English. The older students are better at English. The middle school students are just beginning to learn English at school. My heart was especially drawn to one of my girls who did not know Jesus. She asked me a question. If God was so good, then why did He not draw all of them to heaven? This is a question of the ages, is it not? Many people believe that a loving God would not send anyone to hell. But a loving God provided His son so we could experience a rightness with Him.

When she approached me with her questions, she did not want anyone to know she had these questions. I thought that this would be an impossible situation because she was my most limited English speaking student. But God did not think that this was impossible at all. I began with Romans 6:23.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

She found it in her German Bible. After she read it, I asked her what did it mean. She said that it meant that Christ was the answer to her if she did not want death.

Everyday for the remainder of the camp, she would stay after the lesson and ask for more Bible verses to read. She would meticulously highlight them. Then she would write the verse on a separate scrap of paper and use that for a bookmark. Our conversation was limited...just the careful highlighting of verses. On the last day, she stayed to highlight 25 verses! I ended with Romans 10:9-10.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I asked her what that meant. She said that if she believed and professed her belief that she would receive Jesus. I asked her if she wanted to do that. She said with a smile, "I do." I was so shocked!!! She went to talk to our camp pastor. He called her father(who is not a believer). Her father agreed that she could be baptized. She came back to find me and hugged and sobbed for 5 minutes. The joy of the Lord was evident in her heart.

Another amazing thing is that she agreed to stand in front of the group and share her testimony. This was huge! She did not like to talk in front of the 8 girls much less 41 campers and 20 adults. She worked all afternoon on writing her testimony. She practiced with me. She was insistent that she must share her favorite verse...Romans 6:23, the one she began her journey with.

God does not need my talents, my energy, or my wisdom. He does not need me to be well-rested. He does not need me to know a foreign language to share with a non-English speaking person. He needs my willingness to go into all nations and trust Him.