The Danger of Temptation

Introduction

Today, we will conclude our series called Waiting on God. Waiting is never a fun thing. Our culture trains us to be very impatient. There was an article that gave some signs to show that you are an impatient person. See if any of these applies to you.

• You never let the microwave finish counting down.
• You arrive wherever you’re going early and get frustrated when people are just “on time.”
• The person in front of you at the red light has 0.5 seconds to go on green before you lay on the horn.
• You want to type “what?” when you see the reply dots on a text message more than once.
• You constantly burn your mouth because you can’t wait for your coffee or soup to cool a little.

Patience has been called a virtue, and sadly, there is not as much virtuosity going around these days. Even when it comes to our walk with Jesus, patience can be a difficult thing to master. It often seems that the LORD has a very different timetable than we do. As much as we might be tempted to encourage the LORD to pick up the pace, it might be better for us to consider that maybe He isn’t the one with the wrong timetable.

Today, I want to talk about the danger of temptation in our lives. Temptations are abundant. These are those things that pull us off of the track the LORD has us on. Not all temptations are evil inherently, but they are things that are used by Satan or our sinful flesh to get us to do something in a way the LORD does not want us to do. We will look at an instance in the Old Testament where a guy was tempted and gave into that temptation.

Samuel told Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now, listen to the words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them along the way as they were coming out of Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ” Then Saul summoned the troops and counted them at Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. Saul came to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the wadi. He warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, go on and leave! Get away from the Amalekites, or I’ll sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites. Then Saul struck down the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is next to Egypt. He captured King Agag of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword. Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and choice animals, as well as the young rams and the best of everything else. They were not willing to destroy them, but they did destroy all the worthless and unwanted things. Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions.” So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night.

​1 Samuel 15:1–11 CSB

‌The LORD calls for action

In these verses, we see the LORD sent the prophet, Samuel, to give orders to King Saul. Saul was the first king of the Israelites. Samuel begins by reminding Saul that he had been anointed as king over Israel by the LORD. This means that Saul was chosen specifically for the task. Saul wasn’t to rule over the people as he wished, but he was to rule as the LORD’s representative.

Up to this point, Saul hadn’t done a great job. In 1 Samuel 13, we see that he didn’t wait on the prophet to come and offer a sacrifice/blessing over the troops before battle, so Saul just did it himself. While this could have been grounds for dismissal, the LORD gives Saul another chance. This is a great picture of the LORD’s grace toward us. Even though we don’t get it right all the time, He doesn’t just throw us away. The LORD is one who gives second chances.

What we see in these verses is a sad scene though. Saul was given a second chance by the LORD, but what we see is he didn’t learn anything from the second chance. The LORD had told him to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all that belonged to them. The reason behind this was because of their mistreatment of the Israelites as they journeyed toward the Promised Land.

As Saul begins to carry out this mission, we can notice that he didn’t follow orders to the fullest. The LORD told him to destroy everything, but Saul thought he had a better plan. Saul would take the king of Amalek prisoner and gather the best of their animals for sacrifice later.

This disobedience brings the LORD to make a strong statement: “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions” (v 11). It would kill me to know that I had disappointed certain people in my life. The LORD would be at the top of that list. What would cause the LORD to say such a thing?

‌The Temptations of Saul

We see from these verses that Saul was tempted in two specific ways.

‌The temptation to “help” the LORD

As Saul led some of his troops out, he made a decision to do what he thought was best. In verse 9, we see Saul sparing the life of the king and the best of certain animals. This is not what the LORD told him to do. The LORD said to destroy everything. This was something known in some translations of the Bible as “devoting to the LORD.” It was a sign the LORD had condemned something or someone and called for their destruction.

On the surface, it may seem hard to find what was wrong with the act of Saul. Maybe he was going to make an example out of Agag, king of the Amalekites. If you look beneath the surface, you will see there was a selfish motive behind this. By completely destroying everything, the LORD would get all of the glory. By taking the king of the enemy hostage, Saul would be able to parade his accomplishments around and receive glory for himself.

The problem with trying to “help” the LORD is He does not need our help. He is perfect. We are not. If the LORD has called for something, you can know there is a good reason for it. He has thought it through completely and offered the best solution to any situation. Our “help” is merely an attempt of our flesh to take some of the glory for ourselves — to make us look good at the moment. It might just be the LORD’s plan to not make us look good.

‌The temptation to get something for ourselves

Through Saul’s disobedience of the LORD’s orders, he was looking to gain something for himself.‌ By taking Agag alive, Saul was looking to show himself powerful; he wanted others to see him as strong and mighty. By taking the choice of animals, Saul did not have to sacrifice anything that was his.

Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep, goats, and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we destroyed.”

​1 Samuel 15:15 CSB

Did you notice something? Saul said these animals were taken to sacrifice to the LORD “your” God. Saul reveals that his heart’s desire was not to worship the LORD himself. By taking these animals, when it came time for sacrifice, he wouldn’t have to part with anything that was his. In his mind, it would be so much easier to just use these animals from someone else instead of parting with what belongs to me. A sacrifice that doesn’t cost us anything isn’t much of a sacrifice.

‌How to defeat temptation

Just as Saul was tempted to not follow the LORD’s ways, so we find those same temptations coming at us. There are moments when we are tempted to “help” the LORD accomplish His plans. It might be to add certain steps to it or take out certain things that would not be so appealing or helpful in our eyes.

How can we defeat the temptations that come our way and seek to prevent us from waiting on or trusting the LORD fully?

‌Recognize your condition

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.

​Romans 5:12 CSB

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.

​Ephesians 2:1–3 CSB

Before we are quick to “help” the LORD, it would be good for us to remember that He is God and we are not. He is holy, and we are not by nature. He is infinite in wisdom and ability, we are not. We are sinful by nature and desperately need Him to correct us — not just once but continually.

‌Call on the Savior

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

​Romans 10:9–13 CSB

We may hear these verses and just think about eternal salvation, but they are also speaking about daily salvation — our dependence upon His work in our lives. The amazing part is that He is available, able, and willing to help in every situation of our lives.

‌Follow the LORD’s lead

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.

​Proverbs 3:5–6 CSB

“Trust” in verse 5 here means “to fully depend or lean on.” It is an action that we continuously do in our lives, not just at certain moments. The Bible refers to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. When we trust Him as the Savior and LORD of our lives, we become His sheep. He will guide us when we need direction. He will protect us when we need it. He will comfort us in the hurtful moments. All He asks for us to do is to follow Him. When we do that, the results are on Him and not of our own doing.

‌Conclusion

Temptations are all around us. They come in all shapes, sizes, and appearances. Some of them look very appealing, but the truth is they are empty promises that actually bring the opposite result. While we are tempted in many ways from many directions, we have victory over every temptation in Christ. The question becomes will we listen and follow Him, or try to “help” when it isn’t needed?

I would encourage you today to say “no” to the temptations that come your way and say “yes” to Jesus. He is faithful and true. It is only through following Him and His ways that you will experience abundant life.

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Impatience Leads to Idolatry

As we continue our series, Waiting on God, we are looking at instances from the Old Testament when people decided that waiting on the Lord was not the best decision for them and the fallout that came about each time. Waiting is not an easy task in our lives today. So many things push us to seek quick and easy answers. Life doesn’t always work that way, though. Many things in this life are things we must wait for. Often, the best things in life are those things we wait for.

When we choose to run ahead of the LORD with things in our lives, we open the door for pain to enter in a way that leaves great scars. Our impatience in matters within our lives opens the door for other things to enter that we never intended. I want to look at one of those unwelcome guests that creep into our lives when we are impatient with the LORD’s timing in our lives. We find an instance of this unwelcome guest in Exodus 32 of the Bible.

‌The Journey of the Israelites

As we come to Exodus 32, we need to know what is going on. The LORD had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt by the power of His mighty hand. He was leading them to the Promised Land. This was a journey that would end up taking 40 years to make (talk about having to wait).

Where we break into the story is at the place known as Mount Sinai. This was the mountain where the LORD called out to Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery. In Exodus 3, this mountain was called Horeb. It was in Exodus 3 where the LORD told Moses that a sign this was the LORD’s plan would be that Moses and the Israelites would worship on this mountain. In Exodus 19, Moses leads the people to Mount Sinai, where he goes up to receive the Law of God.

‌The Israelites Grow Impatient

From Exodus 19 to Exodus 32, six weeks pass. Moses is on top of Mount Sinai for six weeks talking with the LORD. The Israelites are at the base of the mountain with Moses’ brother, Aaron. What we see transpire is the result of impatience growing within the Israelites.

When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!” Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf. Then they said, “Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and made an announcement: “There will be a festival to the Lord tomorrow.” Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

​Exodus 32:1–6 CSB

These verses show the Israelites growing rapidly impatient with the LORD and Moses. Moses had been on top of Mount Sinai for six weeks, and they were just there waiting. The LORD did not seem to be in a rush to get all the matters done. The LORD took His time in explaining to Moses how His chosen people were to live in this world.

Why is it that we so often grow impatient with things so easily? It could be that we see some actions are coming, and we want to get them done. Isn’t accomplishing the task given to us a good thing? It could be that we see what is before us as a chore to finish so we can get to what we really want to do.

Whatever the case, we often do not like to have periods of waiting in our lives. As this impatience grows in our lives, it can cause us to make some very unwise decisions. We see this happen in the verses that we read.

The people push Aaron to make “gods” for them to worship. (Exodus 32:1)

The Israelites began to get uncomfortable with the waiting. Like many of us, they wanted to see some action and movement, but the LORD had them in a “wait and see” mode. They pushed Aaron to fashion idols to worship so they could have something tangible to hold on to. Do we crave the tangible more than the genuine?

Aaron wanted to keep the peace, so he gave in. (Exodus 32:2-4)

Aaron knew that he was outnumbered in leadership. He could see the crowd growing restless. He wanted to keep the peace, so he gave the people what they wanted — an idol to worship.

You may be one that does not like conflict. The idea of people being angry or upset with you gets you all out of sorts. Some people will do whatever is necessary to keep the peace in a situation — even if it is doing the wrong thing. One truth that we may not like (but we need to learn) is there will be times in this life when peace is not the best option. Sometimes, we will be called to “rock the boat.”

The people wanted to worship what they could control.

The Israelites at the base of the mountain had Aaron create an idol for them to worship. While things may have been said like, “This is something we can see…” or “this is something that we know is real because we can touch it…”, there was something else at play. The reality was that the Israelites wanted something that they could control. This golden calf was a creation of their hands and imaginations. They may have remembered that one of the false gods in Egypt was represented by a bull.

Whatever the case, this “god” or idol was something the people could control. This idol would not ask anything from them that they were not willing to give. This idol would stand tall but not be demanding. This idol would be what they wanted but nothing they needed.

Idols are meant to appease our minds while still not demanding too much from us. It is an indication of the desire in our own hearts to rule our lives ourselves instead of allowing someone or something else to do so.

‌Idolatry

We may think that idolatry only takes place in other lands or times. We may think of idols as statues that people worship, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Tim Keller defined an idol as “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give” (Counterfeit Gods).

We live in a world where idols surround us constantly. Some of the idols we encounter have been constructed by ourselves. These are things or people that we set up in our lives and look to do what we should be looking to God for. These things may not be inherently wrong, but they become idols in our lives when we give them more power and control of our lives.

‌How to prevent idolatry in our lives

As we think about the prevalence of idols around us, we would do well to be on guard against them since they cannot provide what they ultimately promise. To keep idols from taking ground in our lives, we must take active steps to identify them and set guardrails in our lives to prevent them from taking ground in our hearts.

I want to share with you three action steps to take to prevent idolatry from happening in your life. Each of these steps pertains to the issue of identity.

‌Recognize who God truly is

The Israelites were quick to set up this idol in Exodus 32 because they did not have a clear understanding of who the One true God was. They didn’t see clearly that He is holy.

Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?

​Exodus 15:11 CSB

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They didn’t remember that He is the Creator of all things who stands outside of creation. They didn’t grasp His omniscience (all-knowing), His omnipotence (all-powerful), and His omnipresence (all-present).

Each of us was created by the God of the Bible with a vacuum in our hearts for worship. We may not be able to explain or articulate it, but we were made to worship something outside of ourselves. We look to other things to fill that void when we do not recognize the One true God for who He is.

‌Recognize who we are

We are created beings. There is not one human being that has ever existed or will ever exist that was not created. No one just “appears.” Because we are creations, we are finite in our abilities and knowledge. No one is not dependent upon other things for their existence. If you don’t believe me, just hold your breath.

Not only are we dependent creatures, but we are also sinful by nature.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.

​Romans 5:12 CSB

‌

Because of Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God’s commands in the Garden of Eden, we have inherited a sin nature from them. This sin nature is the part of us that wants to do what we want above what God desires. Because of this sin nature, we cannot trust ourselves to make the right decision every time. We desperately need One who will love us despite our sins and help us become what we should be. That One is Jesus Christ.

‌Recognize what “things” are

As we talk about idols in our lives, we realize that every idol has been created. These creations were allowed by the holy God to be created for His purposes. They become dangerous when they get out of their lane and function in a way they were not intended.

Creations we encounter in this life are tools to help us in ways. They were never allowed to be created to replace God in our lives. They are given to us to be used as He intends. God will never create something that He intends to replace Him because nothing in all of creation could do what the One true God does. If we are not careful, these tools will be used against us to push us further from the One we need most.

‌What to do with idols in our lives

We may be here today and realize some things in our lives have gotten “out of their lane.” We may be seeing clearly for the first time idols are present in our lives. What do we do with those?

• Confess them – We need to come to the point of calling them what they are. We may be tempted to make excuses or downplay the severity. Don’t do that. Call them what they are.
  
• Repent of them – As we identify idols in our lives, we must turn from them and turn back to Jesus.

Conclusion

The issue of idolatry is not something for some faraway land. It is often taking place right here in our midst. We must be alert and recognize what is happening around us and within our lives. This is not a matter of games. This is a matter of our lives.

We see from the Bible that the LORD takes idolatry very seriously. He knows idolatry is stealing people’s hearts from the one source of true life – Him. Thankfully, the LORD has given us victory over every idol that attempts to drive us from Him. The question becomes will we follow Jesus or a false, weak impersonation?

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Lessons From A Golden Retriever

Let me introduce to you the newest member of our family. His name is Oaklee, and he is our new Golden Retriever. He has only been part of our family for a few days now, but in such a short time, he is already making his impact.

When we moved to Missouri, we knew that it would be difficult to bring along Rocky, the Golden Retriever that we have had for 6 years. We had gotten him from Naomi’s cousin, and he had been the best dog for the time we had him. We were able to reunite Rocky with his original owners as we embarked (no pun intended) on our new adventure.

It didn’t take long to realize that something was missing. Moving to a new place – especially so far from where you were used to – can be a lot for people. We were noticing that our children were having some issues with adjustment. One of our boys (the BIG animal lover) would often mention that “he missed Rocky.” We knew something had to happen.

It just so happened that we came across someone who was selling a litter of Golden Retriever puppies not too far from us. So we made the journey and brought this new bundle of joy into our home.

Over the past couple of days that Oaklee has been in our home, I have come to see some things that this fur-baby has reminded me of…

Patience is a virtue

If you are in need of patience in your life, go and get a puppy and bring it into your home. As you bring it into your home, work on getting it ‘housebroke’. This will show you where the patience level in your life truly lies.

Community is Essential

If you know anything about Golden Retrievers, you know that they are extremely loyal and people-pleasers. They long to be around other people, especially their ‘pack.’ As I hear little Oaklee whimper and bark in the middle of the night, I am reminded (among the frustration) that what he really wants is to be close to us and not be left alone.

This reminds me of what the church should be about. God has created every human being – introverts and extraverts alike – for community. None of us can do life well alone. We may want to at times, but to be separated from others who hold gifts and abilities that we need is disastrous.

Love well and deliberately

I am being reminded each day now as I walk into our house and this little bundle of fur comes running to lick me all over that I am loved. Little Oaklee goes all out to show others in his new family that he loves them. It is interesting to see how he does so differently with each one.

We may hold others in high affection, but how are we doing in showing love to others? Jesus said that one of the main characteristics of His followers would be the love that they had for one another (John 13:35).

It is interesting how the little things in our lives can be used by God to remind or teach us the things we need. What is God using in your life to remind/teach you of His truths? How are we doing in listening and learning?

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Dollar Store Rescue

Earlier this week, I was out getting some things that we need for our oldest son's birthday party this coming weekend.  It's hard to believe that he is going to be 6 years old!  We are planning a Star Wars birthday party for him because that's the flavor of his taste right now.  I am looking forward to this.

My wife (the creative one) has come up with some cool ideas for this party.  One involves using pool noodles as light sabers.  I'm really looking forward to this.  The only problem that we face is that it is past Labor Day, and most places have put their swimming toys up until next summer.  I had gone to our local go-to place (Wal-Mart), but they had already gotten rid of them.  I was a little bummed.  Okay, I was a lot bummed.  I really want my son to have the best birthday party.

I left that store and stopped by the bank to deposit some money (always a good thing).  After I got done, I realized that our bank shared a parking lot with a dollar store.  I decided to step in and see if they might have something that could be used.  Wouldn't you know it?  There were 5 blue and 5 green pool noodles... on sale... for a quarter a piece.  Exactly what I needed for under $3.

As I loaded the pool noodles into my vehicle, I began to think about all the times that I get frustrated because things do not go the way I want or think they should the first time.  I'm not sure why, but I frequently have to be reminded not to jump in front of God and His plans.  If we will just listen to Him and follow as He leads, things would go a lot smoother.  He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:7-18).  He is Sovereign (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

Just because the first time does not "work" or "go as it's supposed to," it doesn't mean that you're on the wrong track.  It might be that the timing is wrong.  Were we supposed to have pool noodle light sabers at our son's birthday party?  Yes.  Were we supposed to buy them from Wal-Mart?  No.  God was actually helping us save a little money to use towards something else, and we get to play with pool noodle light sabers!

What ways are you or have you been tempted to jump in front of God?

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Pastoring Lessons From A 5-Year-Old & His Dog

We welcomed Rocky to the Stephens family a couple of days ago. Rocky is our new 2-year-old Golden Retriever. He was a gift from a family member who could no longer take care of it and give it the attention that it needed. This family member knew that we had three young boys. Combine that with a loving dog and you have a good combination.

This dog is like a dream come true for me. I have always liked big dogs. I have always wanted one that could stay in the house with us. This was never a possibility growing up because of my Mother's allergies and preference of "no dogs inside."

The past couple of days have been fun as we have welcomed Rocky to the family. It has been neat to watch our boys warm up to him. They have never been around dogs much. We have not had a dog since the boys have been born. Even so, they've been asking for one for a while. They got their wish.


Our oldest son - who might have been the most vocal in wanting of a dog - has started to realize that a lot goes into caring for a dog. There's the feeding, bathing, playing, etc that has to be done. I see his wheels turning thinking, "this is too much." I find myself getting frustrated with my son and his lack of interest in the new family member.

As I was praying this morning, I found myself praying for our oldest child to bond well and grow in interest of the dog. It was if God answered almost immediately and spoke to my heart saying,

You love dogs, don't you? You know how to play and care for them because you've been around them and had people show you how to do so. What makes you think he will just "get it"?

I replied, "Good point." But there was more.

It's a lot like pastoring. You are a leader that has been called to lead and equip the saints for ministry. They aren't going to just get it. Someone has to show them... teach them... lead them.

It was then I realized what God was trying to say time to me not just about ministry, but also about my boy and our dog. Would I continue to be frustrated, or would I take the time to share what I've been given and watch something awesome transpire?

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I'm Thankful: Day 3

Day 3: My Children

As I continue to think about the blessings that I am thankful for in my life, I'm drawn to thinking about the 4 children that God has blessed our family with. God continues to use each of them to teach me about my relationship with God. Let me tell you about them...

"Peanut" - "Peanut" was our first child. We were looking to start a family and Peanut came along. When we went to hear the heartbeat, that's when we realized that we had lost Peanut. This little one has taught me that God truly is sovereign. Also, Peanut has taught me to not be afraid of being real with God about my feelings (even when I'm angry with Him).

Andrew - Andrew is our 4-year-old. He is one of the most compassionate people that I know. He has such a tender heart and cannot stand to see people hurt. He is also very loving and affectionate. My wife started a notebook to write down some of what we call "Drewisms". These are some of the sayings that Drew comes up with that are just priceless. We gave our first born the name Andrew Thomas after the two apostles of Jesus. It is our prayer that our Drew would be one who brings people to Jesus (Andrew - John 1:40-42) and one that would not just take people's word for it, but look for evidence (Thomas - John 20:24-25)

Samuel - Samuel is our year and a half old. He is also going to be our strong-willed child. He is so mischievous. He is also a "Daddy's boy". Sure, he wants his mommy when he's sick, but if he doesn't get some time with Daddy on a consistent basis, he gets all out of whack. Sam has taught me dependence upon God. Sometimes it's depending on God for patience to deal with him. Sometimes it's a reminder that if I don't spend time with my Heavenly Father regularly then I won't be right.

Nicolas - Nicolas (Cole) is our baby boy. At the time of this post, he is almost 4 months old. He was our "surprise baby." God showed us that His plans are sometimes not ours with Cole. Though Cole was not "planned" by us, he is such a blessing. He teaches me about how a child's laughter/smiles can warm a father's heart. There have been many times when God has spoken to my heart as I look at Cole smiling at me. God has told me that His heart warms in that way when His children find their joy in Him.

You can see that I'm very blessed with the children God's graciously granted to us.

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Fishers of Men

Today, I had the privilege of leading the Bible study with the senior adults in our fellowship who meet at the Midweek Lunch Service.  I decided to share about why it was no coincidence that Jesus' first disciples were fishermen.  You can read the account in Matthew 4:18-22.  Jesus is beginning His earthly ministry after His baptism and chooses four men who were professional fishermen to "follow Him."

Here are a few thoughts that I came away with from this...

• God never does anything by chance. Our great, sovereign Lord has a plan with every little thing that He does.  Even the most minute details and actions are a part of His glorious plan somehow.


• Fishing takes patience. I grew up fishing in the creek that ran behind our home.  There are so many different stories that I could share about those times, but one thing that I learned very quickly is that the art of fishing takes patience.  You're not going to always get a bite a couple of seconds after you put the bait in the water.  Ministry is much like fishing because it takes a great deal of patience.


• Fishing takes passion. I have sometimes wondered how some people can spend so much money and resources on fishing stuff (boat, tackle, rod & reels, etc), but it is simply because they have a passion for it.  Where there is passion, there is the full dedication of everything that we are.  You will have those who are casual fishermen but really don't have a passion, and you'll see that they never really get much done.  Ministry can easily become a chore or job to some.  When it does, the passion is sucked out along with effectiveness.  A follower of Christ has to have Jesus as their chief passion for the long haul that He calls us to.


• Fishing takes persistence. While very similar to patience, fishermen must be persistent (especially bass fishermen).  Sadly, because we live in this microwave society of expecting immediate results, persistence is becoming a lost art form.  The life that Jesus calls us to is one that must be marked with persistence.  I'm amazed at how many people "give up" on God, sharing their faith, prayer, church, tithing, etc all because they didn't see immediate results.  Just ask any fishermen who really knows his stuff and they'll tell you: if you want to catch the big one, you have to keep at it.

It is awesome to know that our God doesn't just fly by the seat of His pants, but has a plan and purpose in everything that He does.  It is also encouraging to know that He has given us some examples from everyday life (even fishing) to help us with our daily walk with Him.

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