Friday Focus #32

A Miracle for the Empty (Inspired by Kerry Shook)

There are relationships out there (my favorite topic) that are suffering. They are hurting. They are empty. They need healing and hope. There has been damage done and the damage needs to be repaired. How does that repair get started? Focus on being loving like Jesus. This is not conditional love that says I will love you if you will love me. It is not "I will be loving only if you reciprocate." This is the same love Christ has for us as he died for our sins. It was not I will die for you if you all follow me. It is "I am dying for you to be reunited with God."
 

In Luke 5:1-11 we have Jesus calling (claiming) his first disciples. He sits in Simon's boat and teaches the word of God to people and then tells Simon to cast his nets into the deep. Simon says that they had worked all night and were tired from catching nothing but he listened to Jesus anyway. That sounds like those times in relationships where you have been doing your part and are exhausted and have been getting ready to "hang it up." You have stopped being loving, caring and nurturing. But Jesus says "give it another shot." When Simon gave it another shot he caught so many fish he needed help bringing them all in. This sounds like when the lull in the relationship is over and you and/or your friend, spouse, significant other both are seeking to be loving again despite being exhausted.

This is what our Christian walk is. It is still seeking to honor God and loving people selflessly even when we are not "feeling up to it." When we still do what God wants from us He will bless us. It may not come as immediately as in this retelling of Jesus and the disciples. But the interesting thing is there is no timetable in the story as to how long it took Simon Peter to catch all of those fish. It could have been 5 seconds or 5 hours. Will you endure and be patient awaiting the blessing while still doing what honors God? Or will you do what you want to get the results you wants faster? It's all up to you. But if you want stronger relationships, follow God's will. 

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Friday Focus #22

God's Power is Bigger Than Your Biggest Problem

Do you know the story of David and Goliath? Not the claymation cartoon from the 1960s (as us old people may remember) but the boy who slay a giant that struck fear into the Israelites. There are some points to take home from 1 Samuel 17.These points were taken from a message by Pastor Kerry Shook from Woodlands Church (link at the end of the blog).

First, we you must attack the giant in your life. We do not do this with reckless abandon, but with God's power and direction (1 Samuel 17:45). How do we know what God wants from us? We must read His word. We must talk to Him. We also have to look at who we are and how we are designed in order to carry out the plans God has for us. David did not cower in fear or pretend like it wasn't there. He faced it head on. What is your biggest fear right now? Is it a relationship? Is it health? Money? Job? 

David's instinct after knocking Goliath down was to cut his head off (1 Samuel 17:51). He did not celebrate and pat himself on the back. He wanted to be rid of the Goliath and the fear he was causing in the battle. David didn't want the giant to only be knocked down, but wanted to be rid of the fear and problems Goliath caused. How can you cut off your giant's head? Are you spending too much money? Cut up the credit cards! Are you always getting drunk with your friends? Find new friends that can keep you accountable. There is something major in your life that is causing a problem that needs to be severed from your life. Extreme measures are needed for extreme problems.

David also had an expectation of more giants to come. Life has issues that will not always be the same thing over and over again. But what do we learn by doing the same thing over and over again. 1 Samuel 17:40 tells us that David selected 5 stones from the stream. Why 5 stones? We learn in 2 Samuel 21:15-22 that there were 4 more giants that were related to Goliath. David may have known this before hand which is why he could have selected 5 stones in stead of just one. He was preparing for what else may be around the corner. Once one giant is destroyed we must be ready to face more in the future.

If you would like to see the message from Kerry Shook on David and Goliath in a message called "Giant Killers" please click here.

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Friday Focus #11

When The Storm Hits

Life isn't easy. There can be very, very tough times with no money, broken relationships, no where to live, no method of transportation to work, or even a death of a family member of friend. Each of those are storms....but what about when they all hit at once. Now what?

We can blame God and say that He did this to us. We can overlook how much we are in control of our own decisions that can lead to our storms. Some things do "just happen" but others are a result of decisions we have made that lead to the storm. Remember when Jesus walked on water and invited Peter out into the water, but as Peter started walked, he started sinking (Matthew 14:22-33)? Peter lacked faith that Jesus was able to walk on the water and even when he called out to Jesus, Jesus said "come." But, when Peter saw the wind he got scared and lost sight of Jesus and lost faith and started to sink. Peter was going to do something amazing through God's will and lost his focus and his faith and saw the problem as bigger than his Lord.

But what about those things that just happen not due to bad decisions (a lack of obedience) but just something bad happened? Your house burned down. Car accidents and injuries. Being assaulted. What do we do then? We don't blame God, we use our faith in God to stay on track and know that God will use that situation to be glorified. It can serve as a test, not a punishment (1 Peter 1:7). When God tests us we grow stronger to glorify Him. If everything is easy, how will we grow? We won't!! God doesn't want us to stay in our comfort zones. I used to "worship" the cars I owned or the women I have dated. God had every single one of them removed so that I could see Him better. Whether the car broke down, or was wrecked, or the girl was put on a pedestal, they all served as a set of blinders to keep me from seeing God's will.

From Kerry Shook on "Tracking a Miracle in the Storm"

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