Thought for January 10, 2024

•  49 BC: Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon
• 1776: Thomas Paine publishes "Common Sense"
• 1917: "Silent Sentinels" protest outside the White House for women's right to vote
• 1946: UN General Assembly meets for the first time--London
• 1982: "The Catch"--Dwight Clark catches a TD pass from Joe Montana--49ers defeat the Cowboys 28-27
• 1999: "The Sopranos" debuts
• Born: Ethan Allen, George Washington Carver, Rod Stewart, George Foreman
• Died: Carl Linnaeus, Samuel Colt, Coco Chanel, David Bowie

Thought:

Have you ever worked hard and been disappointed with the results. You did everything you were supposed to do, but no pay off. I'm looking at two miracles today--one early in the ministry of Jesus and one after the resurrection. The first miracle is associated with the calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John as disciples. The second involves feeding the disciples by the sea and Jesus last conversation with Peter. Interesting that Jesus meets Peter where he works to call him to serve and then meets him there again to recall him after the denials. I'll look at the first one today and the second one tomorrow.

Read with me Luke 5:1-11. Jesus is calling his disciples and finds 4 future apostles cleaning up after fishing all night. He asks Peter [and probably Andrew] to let him use their boat as a teaching platform. Pushing away from the beach, Jesus teaches the people gathered on shore. I wish I knew what the sermon was about--was there something that was directed at Peter and Andrew or perhaps James and John who were near by? But for 2024, I learn from the story a couple of things:

• When I let Jesus in the boat, good things happen. Peter was tired and had been up all night. Yet at Jesus request, he took the boat back out onto the water. I need to learn that when the night has been long and the results disappointing, when I am tired and just want to rest or give up, Jesus wants to get in my boat. First, He wants to talk to me--so I need to listen. And when I listen to Him and pay attention to what He says, my hope is renewed, blessing of peace and provision come. 
• Sometimes Jesus places me in position to hear what is being said to others, but He intends for me to learn from it as well. We have all been there. A teacher, coach, counselor is speaking to someone else. Or maybe we have taken our child or grandchild to a story time or children's worship. We don't think we are being addressed by the speaker, but then something catches our attention. There is a truth we needed to hear, an example we needed to learn about. I experience this almost every week. I prepare a lesson for our class and start to present it---then what I thought was for them turns out to be something Jesus needed to say to me. Or someone in the class makes a point, raises a question, makes a comment and Jesus uses that to speak to me. This year, Jesus may put you in a place where you think you are just the transportation, just the escort, just the usher or greeter--but then you hear a truth that changes your life.
• Jesus gets into my boat in shallow water--shallow faith, shallow understanding--but then He asks me to go to deeper water. Jesus is seeking a deeper relationship. When Jesus invites you into the deep water, go.
• Jesus instructs us to lower our nets--He sends the fish. He tells us to go and tell, and He provides the spiritual power. Interesting that they fished all night without success. Night was the proper time for fishing, but Jesus says fish in the daytime. Jesus may ask me to go places and do things that seem absolutely contrary to all that I know--but He has a purpose. 
• Notice Peter's response---This won't work, it has not worked during the night, and I'm tired--BUT at Your command, I obey. If I could just learn that---trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs gets it right. 
• When Jesus acts, there is always an abundance that overflows from me and blesses those around. 

So this year, let Jesus in your boat, listen when He speaks, be ready to go deeper, lower your nets in anticipation of what He will do, and when the blessings flow, be a channel of blessing.

Blessings

Larry