Cast out the Net

Author Unknown

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. – John 21:6

Very early in life (almost from birth) we are trained to be successful according to the world’s definition of success. We are driven by goals and accomplishments from the day we take our first steps and ride our first bike. As we grow older, we are pressured to accumulate knowledge and “things” in order to prove our success.

In our Christian walk, Jesus calls us to a new definition of success – one determined not by what we accomplish, but by our obedience. The disciples walked and talked with Jesus, but they still faced many challenges with faith and obedience. One morning after fishing all night without a catch, Jesus called from the shore. John 21:6 “He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some {fish}.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”

The disciples were successful that morning. But we must understand that the large number of fish did not define their success. They would have been successful even if the nets remained empty. They were successful the moment they were obedient and threw out the net. One thousand years earlier, King Saul was told to “attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them,” (1 Samuel 15:3). But Saul allowed the Amalekite king and the best livestock to survive. He tried to cover His disobedience by saying the calves and lambs were for a sacrifice to God. “But Samuel replied: ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'” (1 Samuel 15:22).

In any task we undertake for God, it’s easy to become discouraged by our apparent lack of success. We often feel inadequate – and those feelings increase when our goals seem to be elusive. But we must remember, the outcome of the task is secondary to our obedience. God doesn’t need our “fish” – He wants our devotion and trust. He desires that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let’s take our eyes off the accomplishment of the “catch” and what we can produce. Rather, let’s focus on walking each step according to His leading. Let’s concentrate all our effort on obeying His call to cast out the net.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Practice Humility

You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. – 2 Samuel 22:28

Many years ago, a rider came across some soldiers who were trying to move a heavy log without success. The corporal was standing by as the men struggled. The rider asked the corporal why he wasn’t helping. The corporal replied, “I am the corporal; I give orders.”

The rider dismounted, went up and stood by the soldiers and as they were lifting the log, he helped them. With his help, the log was moved. The rider quietly mounted his horse, went to the corporal and said, “The next time your men need help, send for the Commander-in-Chief.”

After he left, the corporal and his men found out that the rider was George Washington.

The message is clear. Success and humility go hand in hand. When others blow your horn, the sound goes further. Just think about it? Simplicity and humility are two hallmarks of greatness. Humility does not mean self-demeaning behaviour.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Not Home Yet

Author Unknown

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. – Psalm 73:2-3

An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and was returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as the President, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.

No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President’s entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, “Something is wrong. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much fuss over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us.”

“Dear, you shouldn’t feel that way” his wife said. “I can’t help it; it doesn’t seem right.” The husband insisted. When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The press were agog with the President’s arrival.

No one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.

That night the man’s spirit broke. He said to his wife, “I can’t take this; God is not treating us fairly.” His wife replied, “Why don’t you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?”

A short time later, he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, “Dear, what happened?”

“The Lord settled it with me,” he said. “I told him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and simply said, ‘But you’re not home yet.”

Oftentimes, we get worked up by comparing ourselves with other people. But, instead of getting bitter, maybe you can find solace in the knowledge that God is probably telling you that He has something better in store for you when you get home.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Why You Should Pray for Authorities (2)

Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel…Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword…And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. – 1 Chronicles 21:1-15

The passage above offers us an insight as to why we must always uphold our statesmen or political leaders in prayer. They require our fervent prayers because, to a large extent, our welfare depends on what they do or fail to do (1 Timothy 2:1-3). The same way we are affected directly or indirectly by their noble or base decisions.

The policies they promulgate can play a major role in either we are in business or out of it; and this has nothing to do with whether such decisions are righteous or not. Once they are instituted, everyone in their jurisdiction are bound to comply. That is why they deserve our prayers so that they can operate by the wisdom and counsel of God, and so that all they do will be influenced by the fear of God.

In the passage above, we see how Israel lost 70,000 men in one fell swoop on account of the mistake of their ruler. David had woken up one day and felt he needed to know the number of people he governed, so he commissioned a census which proved fatal. And isn’t it interesting that David wasn’t the one who suffered the consequence of his mistake? His subjects did. Perhaps, if the people had been committed to praying for him, he would have been hedged from the temptation to count the people and that would have saved the nation the huge loss of 70,000 lives.

The decision or indecision of our statesmen can impact our wellbeing in a good or bad way, and this has nothing to do with their religious affiliation. So, we must always pray for them to rule by the counsel and fear of God so that we can live in peace and prosperity.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Why You Should Pray for Authorities (1)

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. – 1 Timothy 2:1-3

It is easy to criticise and make disparaging remarks about rulers and leaders of thoughts in various echelons of our society, be it political, organisational, or religious. By virtue of their office, the persons in leadership are often under public lens and it does not take much effort to identify, nay criticise, their failings. After all, they are supposed to be public servants; therefore, they ought not to complain about the attention they attract and the criticisms that follow most of their moves.

Meanwhile, just as God has a counsel for every aspect of life, so does He has a precept concerning the way we relate with those who are in positions of authority. There was never a time in the Bible where God commanded that His children should take to the streets and tear down leaders through verbal onslaughts. If anything, God expressly commands in a number of places that prayers and supplications must be made for those in authority.

Why would He say that? The passage above says this is necessary so that “we may lead a a quiet and peaceable life.” And, as if sensing that some diehard critics may object to this instruction, the passage further affirms that this practice “is good and acceptable in the sight of God.” Therefore, there should be no disputing that praying and interceding for leadership is a divine injunction. God commands it and He expects us to comply.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

How to Love

Author Unknown

You’d like Jaydee a lot. Most people do. He’s the kind of guy who listens when you talk, who smiles often, and who says things that make the people around him smile. He’s intelligent, but in a way that makes others feel comfortable. It’s the way he expresses himself in simple terms that you can understand – almost like he’s articulating the thoughts you already have in your head, but haven’t yet found the right words say aloud.

It doesn’t matter who you are either. Jaydee always has a way of relating to you. Because, in a way, he’s been there with you all along. He can think like you, so he understands you. So many of us have limitations in our perceptions. We understand the soldiers but not the politics governing the war. We understand the people who go to the movies but not the ones who attend NASCAR races. But somehow Jaydee gets all of us. It’s his gift.

If he hasn’t actually been to the NASCAR race you’re talking about, he’ll be honest about it – but he’ll make you feel as if he was right there with you. And once you return home after spending a night with Jaydee, you’ll catch yourself smiling and thinking that there needs to be more people like him in the world. Because if there were, there would be far less to worry about.

Jaydee passed away today. I don’t really want to discuss the details, because honestly they aren’t relevant. It could have been a car accident. It could have been old age. We are often far too concerned with how people died, rather than how they lived. And I want you to know how he lived. He told stories – lots of stories that contained subtle insights and wisdom about our lives and the world around us. And today, I want to share with you the last story he told me before he died:

His Last Story

One Sunday morning when I was a little boy my father surprised me and took me to the fishing docks. But instead of fishing, like all the other little boys and girls were doing with their fathers, we sat down on the end of one of the docks and watched all the other children fish. For hours, we sat there and watched until we left without ever casting a single fishing line into the water.

I was simultaneously sad and angry. On the drive home I told my father that I’d never forgive him for being so cruel to me. He looked at me, smiled and said, “I love you, Jaydee.” When I didn’t respond, he asked, “Did you notice how happy all the other little boys and girls were? Did you see their smiles? Could you feel the happiness in their hearts?” After a moment of silence I quickly snapped, “I don’t really care! I just want to go fishing like everyone else!” My father sighed and kept driving.

We went back to the fishing docks dozens of Sunday mornings throughout my childhood. And each time we saw hundreds of other little boys and girls jumping and laughing and celebrating as they reeled in fish. But we still never cast a single fishing line into the water. We just sat in there on the end of that same dock and watched. And my father never explained why. But he didn’t need to. Because years later, as I entered adulthood, I suddenly realized that those mornings we spent sitting on that dock was where I learned how to love.

Meditation: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. – Philippians 2:4

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The True Test

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. – 2 Corinthians 13:5

When asked to define knowledge, someone said, “Knowledge is not what you can remember but what you cannot forget.” Another person responded, “Knowledge is what you can remember after you have forgotten what you have been taught.” These may sound paradoxical, but they ring true. That a student answers questions in a class does not mean he has a good knowledge of the subject. The teacher uses a test or an examination to judge him.

In the same vein, the true test of faith is not when everything around you is all roses and no thorns, but rather when challenges of life are starring you in the eyes and literally telling you ‘God’s word may not be true.’ Moreover, that God gave a word does not mean it will come to fulfilment unchallenged. He said He had made Abraham the father of many nations but Abraham still had to believe so he might become the father of many nations, which God had already made him (Romans 4:17-18).

Being Christians is not proved by how much of scriptures we can quote – which, of course, is not bad in itself – but how much we love other believers (John 13:35); how we accept those of different doctrines from ours and love our unbelieving neighbours.

Your readiness to give is not truly tested when you have $1,000 and you can offer $50 to someone in need. Of course, you have done well; but when all you have is $5 and you are willing to split that into two in order to give someone in need is when the depth of your love can be measured.

Adversities remain the true test of our inner strength. That is why ‘if you faint in the days of adversity, your strength is small’ (Proverbs 24:10)! So, let’s not go about with the theories of faith, character, knowledge, patience, etc. We earn God’s approval and the respect of others when we put them into practice. To do the right thing will always be tasking, but the reward is more than sure.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!