Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
Have you ever experienced a spiritual slump? Not much to show for your walk with God? Feeling distanced and disconnected from God? Feeling like everything is up to you…to fix, get on track, and make things right. Today’s passage is about fishermen in a fishing slump, but the lessons are for our spiritual lives.
When we began construction on our first church building, my friend Al and I met every Monday morning to evaluate the progress. I was never happy with what had been accomplished. One day, Al got fed up with my whining. He walked me over to where the foundation was being dug and said, “Ron, I know they are digging down instead of building up. But if they don’t dig deep and build this building on a solid foundation, whatever is above ground will crack and crumble. Be patient. Digging deep to ensure a solid foundation is the most important part of this project.”
Wouldn’t you like to have a fresh start with your finances? A clean slate on your debt? A full folder of generous giving? Less anxiety about the whole issue of money? Check out today’s passage.
It was called a Topsy Turvy, an incredible hanging planter that promised to grow big red tomatoes upside down. My son bought it for me, and I couldn’t wait to see tomatoes growing from the apparatus hung on our porch.
I am writing this devo from a packed airplane. It was snowing, windy, and cold when we took off, but we’ll land in seventy-degree weather. After speaking at a church, I’ll get back on a plane and return to the cold. Life is a bit like my travels over the next couple of days. Some circumstances bring the blowing cold; others bring the warm sunshine.
Fresh starts come with each sunrise. They are not carried over from the day before. Remember the manna process in the Old Testament. The Israelites could only collect a day’s worth; the next day, they went back for more. That’s how it is with fresh starts. And our “manna” is God’s Word.
Are you ready for a fresh start? A new beginning? A clean slate? Yesterday is over. Can’t get it back. There are no do-overs. Today is new and full of potential.
I know it’s easy to say—Do not be anxious about anything…. You know the verse well. Some of you memorized it as a child. You know the verse is true. You have experienced God’s peace. But today is different.
The opportunities were few and far between. I had just graduated from seminary, and many applications had been sent out, but few churches responded, and those who did were not interested. I was trying to wait patiently…but I was discouraged. In the meantime, I was painting for a man named Pancho, who owned several apartment complexes in the Dallas area. He kept asking me if I had found a church opportunity. One day, he said, “I guess God needs painters more than preachers.” He said it in jest, but it hit hard.
Okay, I admit it…I hate to wait. I hate to wait in the car for family members (I dare not mention names) who will be out in “just a minute.” I hate to wait in the mall for family members (I dare not mention names) who say, “It will take just a second” to go into a certain store and check on a certain item. I hate waiting for everyone to show up so a meeting can start…and sometimes I hate waiting until the meeting is over. It’s not that I don’t like people or family members…on the contrary…it’s just that I hate to wait. And…I admit it…I hate waiting on God.
In our passage today, David, the man after God’s own heart, felt like he was caught in deep waters up to his neck. His feet were trying to locate a rock—a foothold—on the bottom of the stream, but he searched in vain and felt like he was sinking “in deep mire.”
Followers of Jesus are not immune to disappointment, discouragement, or fear. Unanswered questions rattle around in our minds. There are challenges, for sure, but we know that every believer is empowered by the Spirit.