Moving Out into the Deep
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
Your editor was gone this weekend for a Christian
workers encounter. But Tim's Heavenly Connections
contribution, posted Friday on the web site, is as
strong as ever. Ah, and welcome, new subscribers!
Moving Out into the Deep
by Tim Hall
"Who does this fellow think he is? After all, I'm
the one who has been fishing these waters for all
these years. What is he? A carpenter? What does he
know about catching fish? Besides, I've been out
all night, and I can tell you the fish just aren't
to be found!"
Such thoughts were probably going through the mind
of Peter when Jesus told this hapless fisherman to
"Launch out into the deep and let down your nets
for a catch" (Luke 5:4). When Peter put the Lord
to the test, he discovered that the Carpenter knew
a great deal about catching fish.
I suspect Jesus would tell us the same thing. He
sees us rushing, sweating, fretting, and gasping
for air, all without having found the big catch
that keeps driving us. "Launch out into the deep,"
He would say. And I'm confident we would realize
similar results as Peter -- the largest catch of
his fishing career.
Too many Christians are wading in the shallow
waters of religion. It's commendable that they
have decided to get in at all; so many in our
society don't even make the attempt. But some
Christians have just enough "religion" to make
them miserable. They know what God expects, but
they've not yet made the commitment to fully
follow Him. They feel guilty for not doing more
than they've done, for not developing more as a
Christian.
It's time to stand back and evaluate: How have I
done? Am I nearer to the Lord than I was this time
last year? Have I become more regular in my study
of His word and in prayer? How many times must I
look back over my past with regrets?
Let us determine now that we will launch out into
the deep. We are going to get serious about our
Bible study and prayer habits. We will become more
involved in helping others and in serving Christ.
We will look for opportunities to encourage others
with visits, notes, and telephone calls.
There is joy in serving the Lord! But that joy
does not begin to be felt until we've waded out
into the waters of spirituality that are deep.
Then, when our toes can no longer feel the bottom,
we will learn to rely more fully on God's help
than ever before. There, in the deeper waters, we
will discover what it really means to be a
disciple of Christ!